Collections 
The cottage on the hill Amsterdam, about 1660 Etching Plate: 195 x 281 mm Frame: 584 x 737 mm A small wooden house perches atop a steep hill, engulfed by the dense surrounding forest. The limbs of the trees twist and reach into the distance, entwined together to create a sense of movement and life. … Read more
The Massacre of the Innocents Rome, 1513-15 Engraving Paper: 278 x 430 mm Mount: 562 x 690 mm This harrowing scene depicts a key episode from the New Testament. Following the Magi’s prediction of the birth of the King of Jews, King Herod ordered the assassination of all male infants in Bethlehem. The idealised classical … Read more
Moderation Verona, around 1640 Etching Plate: 173 x 123 mm Mount: 557 x 406 mm Purchased in December 1958 (no. 58.16)
St Jerome in the wilderness Florence, about 1500 Engraving Plate: 222 x 282 mm Mount: 405 x 557 mm The scholar St Jerome retired to the Syrian Desert to live in seclusion as a hermit. He is depicted in a traditional manner; dishevelled and semi-naked, with a rock for beating his breast. His customary attributes, … Read more
The Wife of Hasdrubal France, 16th Century Engraving Purchased in 1960 (No. 60. 1)
The Holy Family Bologna, about 1530 Engraving Paper: 210 x 254 mm; Mount: 404 x 557 The Holy Family is shown on sojourn in Egypt. The Gospel of St Luke (1: 47) states that when Mary was told that she would conceive, St John leapt for Joy in Elizabeth`s womb. Here, he dances round a … Read more
John Evelyn Paris, about 1650 Engraving This engraving portrays Sir John Evelyn (1620-1706), the English writer known for his publications on culture, politics and the arts. Evelyn commissioned this portrait by Nanteuil whilst visiting Paris during the early 1650s. It is set in a simple oval and rests on an architectural plinth that is covered … Read more
Apollo and Daphne Paris, 1844 Lithograph Paper: 320 x 245 mm; mount: 555 x 405 mm According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Daphne turned into a laurel tree to escape the clutches of the besotted god Apollo. Although Chassériau emphasises the intense emotion of the subject, he shows Daphne, despite her evident anxiety, as very much an … Read more
Mercury surprising the family of Herse Italian Etching with engraving Plate: 270 x 557 mm; mount: 202 x 557 mm Purchased 1958 (No. 58.14)
Judith departing for Bethulia Rome, after 1544 Engraving Plate: 329 x 462 mm; mount: 516 x 629 mm In this scene from the Apocrypha to the Bible, heroic Judith leaves the Assyrian camp after murdering Holofernes. Assisted by her maidservant, she carries his head on a tray, and his decapitated body can be seen lying … Read more
The chastising of Cupid Bologna, 1563 Engraving Plate: 226 x 357 mm; mount: 405 x 556 mm Occasionally, mythological Gods got their comeuppance for their misbehaviour. Cupid’s arrows had the power to change the amorous feelings on the unsuspecting: leaden ones fostered indifference, whilst golden arrows inflamed love. Here, Cupid is tied to a tree … Read more
The piping shepherd by the well Netherlands, 1652 Etching Paper: 265 x 208 mm; mount: 555 x 406 mm In this pastoral scene, a shepherd has laid aside his pail of water to play the flute to a young woman. His animals bleat and bray in appreciation of the music, their open mouths indicating the … Read more
Suite de Vases: Page Four Parma, Italy 1764 Etching on laid paper Plate: 220 x 165 mm; paper: 420 x 280 mm; mount: 630 x 520 mm A set of 32 engravings, with 3 printed folios. Series purchased in 1961 for £25 (No.61.4/4)
Suite de Vases: Page Three Parma, Italy 1764 Etching on laid paper Plate: 220 x 165 mm; paper: 420 x 280 mm; mount: 630 x 520 mm A set of 32 engravings, with 3 printed folios. Series purchased in 1961 for £25 (No.61.4/3)
Suite de Vases: Page Two Parma, Italy 1764 Etching on laid paper Plate: 220 x 165 mm; paper: 420 x 280 mm A set of 32 engravings, with 3 printed folios. Series purchased in 1961 for £25 (No.61.4/2)
Suite de Vases: Page One Parma, Italy 1764 Etching on laid paper Plate: 220 x 165 mm; paper: 420 x 280 mm; mount: 630 x 520 mm Page one is dedicated to Guillaume du Tillot, the First Minister who was responsible for introducing Petitot to the court in Parma. At the time of production, Parma … Read more
The Church of Valéry at Varengeville Normandy, France 1850-1860 Pencil and watercolour on paper 320 x 235 mm; mount: 400 x 320 mm This drawing is of interest as an alternative and near-contemporary view of the subject of the Barber’s great painting by Monet. It is also a fine sketch from nature in its own … Read more
The Lawn Tennis Party at Marcus Glasgow, 1889 Watercolour and pencil heightened with body colour, on paper 760 x 940 x 34 mm Originally conceived in the late summer of 1886, Melville’s fresh and spontaneous watercolour shows the family home of John Robertson (a friend of the artist), at Marcus in north-east Scotland. Robertson himself … Read more
A Horse Trotting Paris, Model: late 1880s, Cast: Hébrard foundry, Paris, 1919-21 Bronze 23.0 x 8.4 x 22.5 cm Degas’ interest in horses is evidenced by his numerous paintings with racecourse subjects, such as the Barber’s magnificent ‘Jockeys Before the Race’ of c.1878-79. This model may have been inspired by a photograph of ‘The Trot’ by … Read more
A Shepherdess Talking to her Dog Dutch, 1653 Etching 190 x 220 mm
Catherine Anne Douglas (née North, 1760-1867), Lady Glenbervie London, 1820/21 Lithograph 315 x 220 mm This lithograph portrait of Lady Glenbervie was produced after an original drawing by Ingres, created in Rome in 1816. She wears a large decorated English bonnet with her hair curled fashionably around the face. The highwaisted and long-sleeved silk dress … Read more
Christ as the Man of Sorrows Vicenza, Italy, about 1690 Marble relief 35 x 28.5 cm Orazio Marinali was the leading member of a prominent family of sculptors in Vicenza, near Venice, which specialised in religious images. Orazio’s sculptures are often of extreme emotional intensity, as in this extraordinary relief carving, which is particularly moving. Equally … Read more
Grande Arabesque, Third Time Paris, Model: about 1885-90; Cast: 1919-21 Bronze 44.5 x 55.3 x 29 cm Ballet dancers are Degas’ most famous subject matter, and he was clearly fascinated by the endless variety of their poses. This engaging study of concentration is the culmination of a series of three that show one of the … Read more
Raccolta di opere scelte: The column of fire Published in Venice, 1786 Engraving Title page and 59 engravings after mainly Venetian paintings published by Teodoro Viero, Venice, 1786. The majority of the plates are by Le Febvre, S. Maniago, A. Zucchi, and P. Monaco. Purchased in London, March 1956 for £7 (No. 56.10/23)
Raccolta di opere scelte: Christ meeting the woman of Samaria at the well Venice, published 1786 Engraving Title page and 59 engravings after mainly Venetian paintings published by Teodoro Viero, Venice, 1786. The majority of the plates are by Le Febvre, S. Maniago, A. Zucchi, and P. Monaco. Purchased in London, March 1956 for £7 … Read more
Memories of the Past (Souvenirs d’autrefois) French, after 1902 Colour Woodcut 294 x 381 mm Woodcuts first appeared in the 8th century when Buddhist monks in Japan and China used them to reproduce devotional texts. However, they only emerged in Europe at the start of the 15th century, and by the end of the Renaissance … Read more
Head of a Man with a Goitre Italy, 1622 Etching 145 x 110mm Purchased from P. & D. Colnaghi, November 1958, for £4 (No. 58.9)
Raccolta di opere scelte: Venezia Venice, published 1786 Engraving Title page and 59 engravings after mainly Venetian paintings published by Teodoro Viero, Venice, 1786. The majority of the plates are by Le Febvre, S. Maniago, A. Zucchi, and P. Monaco. Purchased in London, March 1956 for £7 (No. 56.10/14)
Three Persons Viewing The Gladiator by Candlelight London, 1769 Mezzotint This print reproduces Wright’s first exhibited painting, shown in 1765. The Gladiator was a famous antique statue, admired for its truthful rendering of anatomy, and it was well known in Britain from numerous copies and casts. The three men study the statue, lit dramatically by … Read more
The cowherd Dutch, 1649 Etching Purchased from Craddock & Barnard, November 1957, for £2.10 (Inv. No. 57.12)