#30 • Limited Edition 1/150 G.H. Rothe: "Ballet Picture I" Signed Mezzotint

Part of Treasures of the Past: Exquisite Jewelry and Fine Art Online Auction (timed auction by Lux Auctions)

High bid $180.00

Status: Sold

Category: Art

This complex and beautiful original mezzotint "Ballet Picture I" by German-American artist Gatja Helgert Rothe (1953-2007) is actually a picture within a picture. The mezzotint process allows the artist to play with layering and transparency, and here Ms. Rothe seems to display a rectangular piece of vellum or transluscent paper onto which is placed a composition of an artfully layered group of dancers. Similar, more transparent monochrome images of the same scene appear at the bottom, while a more colorful original scene can be glimpsed at the base of the work, behind the rectangular paper. The depiction resembles a trompe l'oeil - an optical illusion. The piece was created in 1980 in a limited edition - and this is the very first print of that edition -  1/150. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist. The piece has a single mat, is framed in a gold metallic frame, and has a wire to hang by in the back. Condition: Good condition - The art lies flat within the mat. There is a soil mark in the lower left corner, and the frame is has a few light scratches. Please see our photos for additional details. Frame size: 32.5" x 44", Art Opening: 23.75" x 35.25" Mezzotint Technique: Ms. Rothe was known as a master of mezzotint printing, and her highly detailed mezzotints focused on surreal landscapes, intricately rendered horses, and graceful dancers. Rothe started all her prints by sketching a simple drawing directly onto the plate with a drypoint tool. She then used a rocker to develop the background, rolling and rocking it side to side and piercing the plate with tiny holes for the ink. Using a drypoint tool she further developed the fine details and figures of the drawing. Rothe spent approximately 500 hours working on each plate. Rothe expanded the technique's possibilities to achieve transparencies and an extensive variety of tonalities. By discovering a way to mix all colors in the same plate, from the darkest to the lightest, and hand-wiping them into one another, she was able to create highlights, hues, and tones impossible to get when inking each color separately. An image from this plate/edition appears on page 120 of the book "G.H. Rothe Master of Mezzotint, Catalog Raisonné" by Pierre Restany (1983), which is offered in this auction in lot 28, along with a post card of this image.  Other original works by G.H. Rothe appear in this auction. Lot 30 ("Broadway - Ambition") is the same size and frame type, and lots 36 and 44 are larger works.