Museum Escher in het Paleis has acquired an unknown early work by M.C. Escher. The museum announced this today. In the print, a depiction of the Italian town of Montecelio, the famous graphic artist experimented with a variety of techniques. The museum is delighted. Because an unknown but important Escher is not something you find every day anymore.
It must have been quite a wedding, in 1924, between Maurits Escher and Jetta Umiker. The families negotiated firmly over money matters, with Escher travelling after the Umikers across Europe as far as Viareggio (Italy), where the wedding took place. Through all the hassle, the artist produced nothing in 1924, except this one print measuring 33 x 63 cm. A unique copy, because unlike usual, Escher did not make an edition in litho or woodcut.
The museum was offered the sheet some time ago by distant relatives of the artist. Museum curator Micky Piller was faced with several research questions. First, she had to find out which city was depicted. 'The family didn't remember which city it was. Escher made many prints in Italy, almost all of which can actually be easily identified topographically. Moreover, he gave the towns and villages their own names. On the spot, the similarity often turns out not to be 100%, which makes sense because Escher gives his vision of a panorama and does not depict reality.'
The newly surfaced piece lacked the name. Piller: "I looked in his notes of 1922 and 1923 to see if I could find a town or village whose image matched. Escher often made prints in the months after he had been somewhere. This quest failed. Via the seven hills of Rome, I eventually arrived at the image of Montecelio.' Montecelio, about 20 kilometres northeast of Rome, can still be recognised by the ruins of a fort dating from 998.
Paper stamps
A second question concerned the techniques used. These Piller examined together with Paul van der Zande, paper conservator at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. Montecelio was made with India ink and pencil, but it is not just any drawing. Piller: 'In the family, people knew that Escher had done something with stencils. However, he not only used stencils, rollers and tampon brushes, but probably also prints and stamps of paper with its own specific grein (grain). The work features whole, half, or even twisted repetitions of those shapes.'
Escher would later create many more Italian landscapes, often with unusual perspective. That he chose this subject as early as 1924, and even then experimented with these techniques, was not known. That makes Montecelio into an interesting transitional piece between youthful work and later career. But of course, it is also an attractive picture, with the Japanese-looking trees and mountains, the repeating motifs in the many houses and the picturesque-Italian image of a town with ruins on the mountain.
Escher in the Palace links the unveiling of Montecelio to the retirement soon of Piller, who has worked at Escher in the Palace since its inception in 2002. 'Quite an honour,' she believes. 'Usually the departure of a curator is not brought to such attention!'
Montecelio can be seen in Escher in the Palace museum.
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