Etching of a Red Cross nurse ‘O tempora O mores’ – Johannes Nicolaas jr., 1917

Etching by Johannes Nicolaas Jr. – Red Cross nurse, 1917

A striking original etching by the Dutch etcher Johannes Nicolaas Jr. (1885–1943), signed in the plate ‘J. Nicolaas Jr 1917’ and with ‘HOLLAND’. Below the image the sheet is signed and numbered 6/50 in pencil. A Red Cross nurse gazes ahead with closed eyes; behind her a Zeppelin floats and a sailing ship passes, and at the top is Cicero’s lament: ‘O tempora, O mores’ – ‘oh the times, oh the customs’. A restrained commentary on the First World War, made in the neutral Netherlands of 1917.

Why we chose this piece

You rarely see Dutch printmaking with a story from the war years. The combination of the weary nurse, the Zeppelin in the sky and the Latin saying makes this small sheet much bigger than it is. The edition of only 50 impressions and the clear pencil signature make it all the more appealing.

Style and interior

Suits a classic or Dutch interior, a study or library, and a collection of Dutch prints or WWI memorabilia. Lovely in a simple black or wooden frame.

Dimensions: work approx. 15 × 21.8 cm; with mount 29.8 × 39.9 cm
Artist: Johannes Nicolaas Jr. (1885–1943)
Technique: etching in brown ink, signed and numbered 6/50 in pencil
Period: 1917 (dated in the plate)
Origin: the Netherlands
Condition: Good, in keeping with its age. The sheet is set in a cream-coloured mount with lines. The paper is evenly and lightly toned; two small dark specks on the mount at upper right (photo 1). No tears or folds visible in the image.

Price:
€ 110

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