Dressing for the Masquerade London, 1790 Tinted etching Paper: 37.3 x 51.3 cm; mount: 51.7 x 63 cm The most obvious differences between this print and Rowlandson’s original drawing (Inv. No. 48.9) are the colours. The print has been hand tinted and consequently each version is slightly different from the others. The general colour … Read more
Meekness Venice, 1575-7 Pen and brown wash heightened with bodycolour on blue paper 18.9 x 31.0 cm Related to the ceiling paintings of the same subject by Veronese in the Sala del Colegio of the Doge’s Palace, Venice. Purchased 1937 (No. 37.2)
A Man with an Oar Netherlands, about 1520/21 Pen and brown ink 16 x 10.4 cm This fine drawing is one of a number of works believed to have been made during Dürer’s trip to the Netherlands in around 1520-21. It was among those taken from the museum of the Lubomirski family, established in the … Read more
The Lime Burner London, 1859, published 1871 Etching with drypoint Plate: 25 x 18 cm; mount: 55.6 x 40.5 cm This is one of Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames which Whistler completed by 1861. They resulted from a campaign of drawing along the river in which the artist sought to document its everyday … Read more
The Mule Driver Netherlands, 1630s Etching 22 x 29.5 cm The mule with a low-slung head struggling under the weight of a heavy load is a motif that frequently appears in Both’s Italianate landscape scenes. For many, the mule was an affordable means of transport and an ideal working animal, combining the endurance and sure-footedness … Read more
The Cypress Grove Redhill, Surrey, about 1880, completed 1883 Etching 13 x 19 cm Set amid a mountainous nocturnal landscape, a group of nymphs mourn for the shepherd Daphnis who has been blinded by the nymph Nomia for being unfaithful. Loosely based on Virgil’s Eclogues (42-39 B.C.), this work may have been inspired by … Read more
Ecce Homo Bologna, 1587 Etching Paper: 45 x 34.4 cm; mount: 63 x 51.5 cm Depicting a standard cycle of the Passion of Christ, the words ‘Ecce Homo’ (‘Behold the Man’) were used by Pontius Pilate to present Christ to the jeering crowds before his crucifixion. Mary swoons in the foreground, an unusual addition to … Read more
The Castle by the Sea Berlin, 1887 Aquatint on Indian paper laid on heavy-weight wove paper 95 x 68 cm Purchased 2001 (No. 2001.10)
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt Frankfurt, 1893-97 Lithograph 20.2 x 23.2 cm Thoma sets this scene of the Holy Family resting within a realistic representation of rural life. The religious imagery is understated. Instead of the divine intervention of an angel, a female figure brings food to the family. The solitary poses of … Read more
The Infants Christ and St John playing with a Lamb Flemish, about 1635 Woodcut 34.4 x 45.9 cm Purchased 2002 (No. 2002.4)
La vieille aux loques (The Old Rag-Picker) London, 1858 Etching 20.6 x 14.6 cm An old woman sits in a doorway absorbed in sorting rags. Although the rag picker is shown as poor and frail, her focus and disengagement from the viewer creates a calm and contemplative image. The framing device of the doorway ensures … Read more
The Battle of the Beaux and the Belles London, about 1896 Pen and black ink 25.7 x 17.6 cm This drawing was published in the 1896 edition of Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock (1714). Beardsley’s drawing illustrates the moment the heroine Belinda attacks the Baron (opposite) with her fan after discovering he has … Read more
La Baigneuse (The Bather) France, about 1910 Colour woodcut 19.1 x 18.8 cm Beltrand helped pioneer the use of water-based pigments in printing in France, inspired by Japanese printmaking techniques. Water based inks can produce subtle and delicate images, whereas more traditional Western woodcuts are often use oil based inks and are bolder or harsher in … Read more
Nude Girl Standing London or Paris, about 1906 Etching 19 x 11.5 cm A young naked woman stands with her knee upon a bed. Her pensive expression and downturned eyes suggest intimacy and naturalness. The loose, hastily etched lines highlight the mass and unevenness of her body rather than idealising her figure. The model is … Read more
Sheet of Caricature Heads Parma, 1594 Pen and brown ink on paper 20.2 x 28 cm This sheet of head studies can be viewed in the tradition of physiognomic studies began by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) when conducting anatomical investigations. However, rather than documenting realistic detail, Carracci has reduced his sketched heads to the bare … Read more
Man, Wife and Child (New York City Life Series) American, 1905 Etching Plate: 12.4 x 17.1 cm; sheet: 25.1 x 32.4 cm Gifted by Delaware Art Museum and the Helen Farr Sloan Estate in 2017 (No. 2017.1/7)