VINCENZ GEORG KININGER, "HERE HE COMES!"

VINCENZ GEORG KININGER HERE HE COMES! VINCENZ GEORG KININGER Regensburg 1767 – Vienna 1851 Engraving printed in brown ink, in stipple and roulette technique, from a drawing by Kininger, engraved by Weiss. Signed "Voilà qu’il passe!", "A Vienne aux Bureau des Arts et de l’Industrie, 1803", "Dessinée par Kininger", "Gravé par Weiss." 33 × 27 cm, with margins 38 × 31 cm PROVENANCE Private collection, Vienna In the last decades of the 18th century, a wave of Anglophilia swept across continental Europe, fueled by the cultural fascination and political weight of Great Britain within the anti-Napoleonic coalition. In Vienna, this translated into a taste for refined and sentimental images, in tune with the aesthetics of Angelica Kauffman and Maria Cosway — two pioneering female artists whose works embodied the values of sensibility, domestic virtue, and delicate femininity. This engraving, printed in warm brown ink using the stipple and roulette techniques, reflects the emergence of a softer and more pictorial graphic language, typical of printmaking around 1800. The intimacy of the oval composition, the graceful pose of the young girl, and the delicately anecdotal tone place the image squarely within the visual tradition of that time. The drawing is by Vincenz Georg Kininger, a Viennese artist known for his elegant genre scenes, portraits, and book illustrations. Also active as an engraver, miniaturist, and teacher, Kininger captured the sentimental mood of his era with grace and precision. The plate was engraved by Weiss and published in Vienna by the Bureau des Arts et de l’Industrie in 1803. The title Voilà qu’il passe ! (“Here he comes!”) adds a subtle narrative note to the scene, suggesting a fleeting romantic moment or a tender farewell. The print is signed “Dessinée par Kininger” and “Gravé par Weiss”, indicating Kininger as the draftsman and Weiss as the engraver. It was published in Vienna in 1803 by the Bureau des Arts et de l’Industrie, one of the most refined and active print publishers of the imperial period, as specified in the inscription below the image.