[Augsburg, M. Engelbrecht, ca. 1750]. A complete set of six engraved and carefully hand-coloured card-backed oblong prints (five with careful cutaways). Each 9.0 x 13.9 cm.

A wonderfully preserved, complete set of cards, with delicate cut-outs and hand-colouring. This peepshow consists of six cards which together form a view, from a harbour mouth towards the sea, with numerous sailing ships, of which at least several seem to be engaged in combat. Given the age and subject, we assume that this item has been produced by the Augsburg firm of M. Engelbrecht. "Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756), a native of Augsburg was the son of a colour merchant. He began his career as an artist by the attachment to a local publishing house but had by 1708 moved to Berlin where he was engaged in the designs after Eosander von Goethe of a the Silberbüfett im Ritterall at Berlin and of a porcelain cabinet in Charlottenberg. Returning to Augsburg he was involved in illustrating a wide variety of works after various artist mainly on subjects connected with the decorative arts. However in 1711 Engelbrecht was again in Berlin working at a fine art publishers with his older brother Christian Engelbrecht (1672-1735). They decided to start their own independent publishing house at Augsburg in 1719 where they produce a wide variety of graphic works. It was with peepshows Martin Engelbrecht excelled having the unique position of no other publishing house or place of publication to compete against him. Engelbrecht was kept busy with the many other special graphics and employed two artists, Jeremias Wachsmuth (1711-1771) and Johann David Nessenthaler (1717-1766), to produce designs for the peepshows. Wachsmuth’s work can be found as early as 1731, and those by Nessenthaler starting from 1737. With Martin Engelbrecht's death in 1756 the business continued to thrive under the management of Engelbrecht's daughters and sons-in-law, and continued on well into the nineteenth century." (Marlborough Rare Books Catalogue, List XLV, 2009. pp. 33-34). Very slight rubbing to the edges, otherwise a very good, clean set. Rare.