Presented here, a watercolor and ink on paper Fraktur dated 1817 for the Bittebender Family, Lucern County, Nescopeck Township, 1817. It features a central heart surrounded by two brightly colored Carolina Parakeets (native to Southwestern Pennsylania, now long extinct) and flanked by flowers, two other birds and script. It is attributed to Fraktur Artist, Friederich Kuster, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, active 1811 to 1822.
Fraktur manuscripts made here were the local flowering of a European tradition transplanted without substantial change to this new country. They were used by the ultra-conservative until the universal spread of the printing press wiped out all need for the records illuminated by hand and the last practitioner of the art of the mediaeval scribes no longer found it worthwhile to practice his ancient craft.
In Germany the law demanded that a record of vital statistics be preserved: it followed that trained scriveners were always available to provide the necessary documents. Because of this need, in any plan for the immigration of colonists to Penn s lands, a schoolmaster or minister was always included in the group. These "educated" men, in addition to their ability to read and write were expected to be proficient in the art of "Fraktur writing in order that they might supply the new settlers with the documents custom demanded. In strange new surroundings they kept up the old traditions, and being set free from the limiting artistic conventions of their homeland, in the Pennsylvania German counties they developed fraktur writing into something lively, original and even more decorative.
The decorations on Taufscheine and other related manuscripts cover a wide range of subject matter. Floral motifs predominate and are almost invariably pure conventionalizations with the exception of the tulip, whose stylized form is still close enough to the botanical one to be so identified. Highly decorative birds are also another favorite motif. Again, while the greatest number are sheer stylizations, a few are identifiable as parrots, peacocks, eagles and doves. We also find angels, pomegranates and an occasional mermaid as well as the ever popular heart. While each fraktur writer seems to have adhered closely to his original choice of motifs, introducing slight variations in arrangements to avoid monotony, he nevertheless retained his own decorative idiom over a period of many years, a "signature" if you will. Because of this, attribution to a specific artist is possible.
This is a wonderful example of this watercolor medium, being entirely hand done. It is charming and folky and in fine condition with only some minor foxing. Size is 12.75" high by 15.50" wide. It comes to you with a David Wheatcroft provenance.
$7800.00
R4H017543
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