# Johann Elias Ridinger artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/johann-elias-ridinger/
Profile generated: 2026-05-02T13:48:30.816Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1698-02-16
- Death date: 1767-04-10
- Nationality: German
- Movements: Baroque / German animalier tradition
- Common media: engraving, etching, painting, drawing, Meissen porcelain decoration

## About Johann Elias Ridinger

Johann Elias Ridinger (1698–1767) was a German painter, engraver, draughtsman, and publisher whose work centered on the animal world — especially horses, hounds, and hunting scenes. Active in Augsburg, a major center of print production, Ridinger built a reputation as one of the foremost German animalier engravers of the 18th century. His compositions circulated widely as prints and were adapted onto Meissen porcelain, extending his influence well beyond the print market. He ran a productive workshop and publishing house; his sons Martin Elias and Johann Jakob Ridinger continued the business, as did his stepson and pupil Johann Gottfried Seuter. Ridinger's prints remain a staple reference for collectors of Old Master works on paper and equestrian art.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers are most likely to encounter Ridinger's copperplate engravings and etchings of equestrian, canine, and hunting subjects, often issued as thematic series or folios. Many impressions were hand-colored. His designs also appear on Meissen and other Continental porcelain. Original drawings and oil paintings by Ridinger exist but are considerably less common in the market than his prints. Later restrikes from his plates, produced by his sons and successors, circulate alongside lifetime impressions and should be distinguished for appraisal purposes.

## Market and appraisal context

Johann Elias Ridinger's prints are a well-established fixture in the Old Master Prints market, with 557 auction lots recorded in the Appraisily index dating back to 1997. The market is liquid and active: 40 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window, up modestly from 35 the year before, indicating steady and slightly growing supply. Price dispersion is wide (€3–€61,250), reflecting the broad range of material that surfaces — from individual uncolored restrikes and attributed works at the low end to rare lifetime impressions of major compositions, complete series, and original paintings at the high end. The interquartile range (€109–€1,375) captures the typical collector-grade material: hand-colored engravings, small thematic groups, and single copperplates in reasonable condition. Top-tier houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Karl & Faber, and Dorotheum have handled Ridinger material, alongside a long tail of German and Central European regional auctioneers (Schloss Ahlden, Historia Auctionata, Mehlis, Quedlinburg, Königstein, Schmidt Dresden) that account for the bulk of volume. Recent comparable lots include a single stag engraving at Karl & Faber realizing €1,600 (Nov 2025), a group of 17 copperplates at Auktionshaus Mars at €380 (Jul 2025), and an engraving at Sworders realizing £650 (May 2025). The presence of both major international and specialist regional houses signals a healthy two-tier market where collector interest is broad but depth concentrates in German-speaking countries and the UK.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Johann Elias Ridinger's prints are a well-established fixture in the Old Master Prints market, with 557 auction lots recorded in the Appraisily index dating back to 1997. The market is liquid and active: 40 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window, up modestly from 35 the year before, indicating steady and slightly growing supply. Price dispersion is wide (€3–€61,250), reflecting the broad range of material that surfaces — from individual uncolored restrikes and attributed works at the low end to rare lifetime impressions of major compositions, complete series, and original paintings at the high end. The interquartile range (€109–€1,375) captures the typical collector-grade material: hand-colored engravings, small thematic groups, and single copperplates in reasonable condition. Top-tier houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Karl & Faber, and Dorotheum have handled Ridinger material, alongside a long tail of German and Central European regional auctioneers (Schloss Ahlden, Historia Auctionata, Mehlis, Quedlinburg, Königstein, Schmidt Dresden) that account for the bulk of volume. Recent comparable lots include a single stag engraving at Karl & Faber realizing €1,600 (Nov 2025), a group of 17 copperplates at Auktionshaus Mars at €380 (Jul 2025), and an engraving at Sworders realizing £650 (May 2025). The presence of both major international and specialist regional houses signals a healthy two-tier market where collector interest is broad but depth concentrates in German-speaking countries and the UK.

### Appraisal notes

An Appraisily appraisal of a Ridinger work would cross-reference the item's medium (engraving, etching, drawing, or painting), dimensions, signature or plate signature, edition state (lifetime impression vs. posthumous restrike), hand-coloring, paper condition (foxing, margins, plate marks, laid/wove paper), and provenance against the auction-record database of 557 lots and 318 priced results. Comparable lots would be selected by matching subject (hunting, equestrian, canine, animal), series (e.g., Princes' Hunting Pleasure, Paradise series), and format (single plate vs. konvolut/group). The wide price range means that condition and impression quality are the dominant valuation drivers — a pristine lifetime strike of a well-known composition can command multiples of a later restrike of the same plate. Attribution nuance (工作室, 圈子, 已归属) significantly affects value, as recent lots show attributed works selling near the low end. For Meissen porcelain bearing Ridinger designs, a separate decorative-art comparable set would be applied.

### Valuation factors

- Impression state: lifetime strikes from Ridinger's own plates (pre-1767) command strong premiums over posthumous restrikes by his sons Martin Elias and Johann Jakob or successor Johann Gottfried Seuter
- Coloration: hand-colored engravings generally sell at a significant premium to uncolored impressions; the quality and period of the coloring (original vs. later) matters
- Condition: paper quality, foxing, staining, trimmed margins, and plate-mark completeness are critical for 250-year-old prints and can halve or double value within the same subject
- Subject and series: complete thematic series or folios (e.g., Paradise, Princes' Hunting Pleasure) are scarcer and more valuable than dispersed single plates; hunting and equestrian subjects attract the broadest buyer pool
- Attribution: lots catalogued as 'attributed to' or 'circle of' Ridinger trade at a steep discount to firmly attributed works; restrikes should be clearly identified
- Format: konvoluts (groups of multiple prints) appear frequently and their value depends on whether the group is coherent, complete, and contains sought-after individual plates
- Provenance: collector marks, early collection provenance, or exhibition history add premium, especially for higher-value lots above the p75 threshold

### Collector notes

- Ridinger's market is liquid and accessible: with 40 lots in the last 12 months across a range of houses, buyers can usually find material without long waits, but competition for top-quality lifetime impressions is keener at major houses like Karl & Faber, Christie's, and Sotheby's.
- The median auction price of approximately €300 means that collector-grade individual engravings are affordable entry points into Old Master Prints. However, the p75 at €1,375 and ceiling at €61,250 show that rare or exceptional material can be significantly more valuable.
- German and Austrian regional houses (Schloss Ahlden, Historia Auctionata, Mehlis, Königstein, Quedlinburg, Schmidt Dresden) are the primary volume venues and often offer lower estimates than the international houses — collectors seeking value may find opportunity there, but should verify condition carefully.
- Distinguish lifetime impressions from restrikes before purchasing. Restrikes produced by Ridinger's sons and successors are collectible but should be priced accordingly. Catalogue descriptions often note 'später Abzug' (later impression) or name the posthumous publisher.
- Meissen porcelain decorated with Ridinger designs is a distinct collecting category with its own condition and authenticity considerations; buyers should verify that the decoration is period rather than 19th-century transfer or reproduction.

### Market caveats

- Price distribution spans three currencies (EUR, USD, GBP) and nearly three decades of auction records; direct price comparisons should account for currency and date of sale.
- Many recent lots lack a recorded price realized (priceRealised: null), indicating either unsold results, buy-ins, or post-sale data not yet captured; the priced-lot subset (318 of 557) is the reliable basis for valuation analysis.
- Some catalogue descriptions in the source pack are truncated (e.g., 'SEQ', 'COL', 'ATT'), limiting subject-level comparability for those lots.
- One lot (Hessink's, Jun 2025) gives Ridinger's birth year as 1689 rather than the accepted 1698 — this is a catalogue error, not a variant identity.
- Auction records are concentrated in German-speaking countries and the UK; the Appraisily index may underrepresent results from other markets (North American regional houses, French and Scandinavian venues).
- The max price of €61,250 likely represents an exceptional lot (possibly an original painting, a complete rare series, or a work with outstanding provenance) and should not be treated as representative of typical print values.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/johann-elias-ridinger/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-series-7055-c-9116ca3690
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-engravings-from-the-princes-hunting-pleasure-171-c-6c3597d728
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-2368-c-5ee70a8d86
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-konvolut-10-kupferstiche-jagdszenen-und-tierdarstellungen-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-collection-of-10-engravings-of-hunting-scenes-and-animals-5024-c-5e3437f0e6
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-ulm-augsburg-1767-suite-of-12-plates-paradise-or-the-creation-and-the-fall-of-man-276-c-c5ab5e3606
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-ulm-augsburg-1767-der-gro-e-schaufelhirsch-mit-zwei-in-die-hohe-gewachsenen-schalen-an-den-vorderlaufen-the-large-shovel-footed-stag-with-two-bowls-growing-in-height-on-its-forelegs-86-c-0080c73fd1
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-att-7063-c-bf9d1c8d70
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-two-7027-c-bf99850566
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-col-7026-c-bf996b0f48
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-graphiksammlung-3730-c-05e45e7855
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-17-kupferstiche-blatt-41-5-x-31-5-cm-betite-2515-c-07f4394a25
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-german-1698-1767-283-c-0494824956
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-deer-1005-c-50f41389e7
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-wie-die-jagd-angeblasen-wird-kupferstich-157-c-4d44629825
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-johann-elias-ridinger-1698-1767-two-depictions-of-oxen-945-c-f2a48d9959

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from authority files and institutional sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Johann Elias Ridinger, this page draws on Wikidata, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, and Wikipedia as corroborating context.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/66758
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82072909
- VIAF / OCLC: https://viaf.org/viaf/5723487/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q530683
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Elias_Ridinger