Augsburg, M. Engelbrecht, ca. 1750. A complete set of six engraved and carefully hand-coloured card-backed oblong prints (five with careful cut-outs). Each ca. 9.4 x 14.5 cm.

A wonderfully preserved, complete set of cards, with delicate cut-outs and hand-colouring. This peepshow consists of six cards which together form a view through a wine cellar, arguably one of the most popular subjects. Most probably produced by the Augsburg firm of M. Engelbrecht, having all the hallmarks of his quality in engravings and colouring, as well as in the choice of subjects. "Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756), a native of Augsburg was the son of a colour merchant. He began his career as an artist by the attachment to a local publishing house but had by 1708 moved to Berlin where he was engaged in the designs after Eosander von Goethe of a the Silberbüfett im Ritterall at Berlin and of a porcelain cabinet in Charlottenberg. Returning to Augsburg he was involved in illustrating a wide variety of works after various artist mainly on subjects connected with the decorative arts. However in 1711 Engelbrecht was again in Berlin working at a fine art publishers with his older brother Christian Engelbrecht (1672-1735). They decided to start their own independent publishing house at Augsburg in 1719 where they produce a wide variety of graphic works. It was with peepshows Martin Engelbrecht excelled having the unique position of no other publishing house or place of publication to compete against him. Engelbrecht was kept busy with the many other special graphics and employed two artists, Jeremias Wachsmuth (1711-1771) and Johann David Nessenthaler (1717-1766), to produce designs for the peepshows. Wachsmuth’s work can be found as early as 1731, and those by Nessenthaler starting from 1737. With Martin Engelbrecht's death in 1756 the business continued to thrive under the management of Engelbrecht's daughters and sons-in-law, and continued on well into the nineteenth century." (Marlborough Rare Books Catalog, List XLV, 2009. pp. 33-34). The quality is certainly of the highest level. Cards 2, 4, and 6 are numbered on rectos (printed), the other three are numbered on versos, in an old hand. Very slight rubbing to the edges, otherwise very good, clean. Rare.