[Catchpenny prints. Only known copy] "Trap des ouderdoms"

Catchpenny print with 1 single large thumb-coloured woodcut depicting a "women's steps of age", 25.6 x 34.5 cm, with address Amsterdam, Casparus Loots-Man, c. 1700.

Cut short in all margins, affecting the address and the woodcut in the upper left corner; small central hole (folded twice). Only known copy and one of the two oldest known examples of a "women's steps of age". See Boerma, Borms et al., Kinderprenten, volksprenten, centsprenten, Schoolprenten. Populaire grafiek in de Nederlanden 1650-1950, p. 344, referring in a note to this copy: "Rond 1700 zijn twee houtsneden gedrukt met vrouwentrappen. Zij maken deel uit van de fondsen van Lootsman en De Groot, volksprentuitgevers die generaties lang een belangrijke rol gespeeld hebben gespeeld. Deze twee prenten, ook allebei unieke exemplaren, hebben het adres van Casparus Lootsman (werkzaam circa 1690-1711) en Wed. van Gysbert de Groot (werkzaam circa 1692-1717)." Of Casparus Lootsman, only six catchpenny prints are known. The oldest known examples of the woodcut variant of the age steps with men are those published by Anton Spierincx, dated 1630 and by Joost Broersz in Amsterdam, around 1640. For more than 400 years, the "steps of age" subject (depicting the progress and decline of human life) was one of the most popular of the Dutch catchpenny prints. Nowadays, it is one of the rarest subjects, especially the ones with women. Variant examples with alternating men and women or couples on the steps are also known. For the Lootsman firm, see De Meyer p. 210 and Boerma, Borms et al., p. 220-222. For the theme, see De Meyer p. 393 ff. and Boerma, Borms et al., p. 342-346.