Bookplate: Oskar Leuschner Ex Libris

Bookplate in the form of an origi­nal etching by Czechoslovakian printma­ker Stanislav Kulhánek (1885-1970) fea­tur­ing a nude young White male crouching on the back of an eagle with an oval vignette of a cloudy sky as the background.

The combination of the handsome young man and the enormous eagle evokes the classical myth the abduction of Ganymede by Zeus—but here with the power relationship reversed by showing the youth dominating the raptor. The figure holds a large book aloft with both arms.

Below the vignette appears a stylized geometric head of the Greek god Mercury wearing a winged helmet. The lettering of OSKAR LEUSCHNER EX LIBRIS is in high Vienna Secession style.

The label on the verso of the backing indicates provenance: Collection of Jaroslav Štastný, acces­sioned December 1, 1939.

SIGNATURE: Signed in plate at left below the book owner's first name: "SKul­hánek"; opposite under the last name, the print is dated and identified in the plate: "1917, N° 30".

CONDITION: Margins of print deckled; slight creasing to lower margin; affixed to backing with strip of paste on verso along upper margin; penciled annotation along lower margin of print: "St. Kulhánek (1885–1970) [illegible] 1917"; faint red rubber stamp to verso of print: "Collection / L. [illegible]C"; pencil annotations to ver­so: "[illegible] / St. Kulhánek"; slight dent to outside upper corner of backing.