Collections
Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685)
The Cobbler Dutch, 1671 Etching Plate: 180 x 150 mm; mount: 557 x 404 mm Purchased 1948 (No. 48.19)
Sheng Tzu-Chao (active 1310-1360)
Mountainous Landscape Chinese, late Yuan to early Ming Dynasty Brush and ink on silk 1468 x 610 mm This depicts one of the favourite subjects of Chinese landscape art – a view of hills surmounted by clumps of trees, whcih rise beyond to a distant mountain range wreathed in mist. With delicate, calligraphic strokes of … Read more
John Leech (1817-1864)
A Bracing Day at the Seaside British Watercolour over pencil 252 x 350 mm A family group struggle against the wind to walk along Scarborough Pier, whilst large waves break behind them. Leech’s characterisation of the holiday spirit is demonstrated by the ecstatic children in the foreground, the grimacing female guiding them, and the striding … Read more
John Brett (1831-1902)
Study of Warwick Castle (‘The White Waterlily’) Warwick, 1860 Watercolour on paper 254 x 355 mm Early on in his career, John Brett, the leading Pre-Raphaelite landscape artist, visited the West Midlands where he produced this view of Warwick Castle. This watercolour study is, along with an early sketch, the only record of a now … Read more
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)
The Grand Piazza, Plate IV from ‘The Prisons (Carceri)’ Rome, 1773 Etching with engraving 545 x 416 mm Piranesi’s set of architectural fantasies, ‘The Prisons’, were first published in 1745, but he extensively reworked the plates before reusing them in the 1760s. This transformed the architectural, stage-like designs into a dramatic world of gloom and … Read more
Giovanni Migliara (1785-1837)
An Architectural Capriccio 1829 Pencil and watercolour 180 x 234 mm Migliara was a scenery painter who turned to small-scale works after 1810, owing to illness. His precise, jewel-like technique and theatrical settings found much favour with patrons in his native Milan and further afield. His works are extremely rare in Britain. As the title … Read more
Hubert Robert (1733-1808)
Study of a Tree with a Figure Paris, about 1780 Red chalk, over squaring in black chalk, on paper 385 x 524 mm Robert was a garden designer as well as a painter and trees formed an important part of his landscape subjects. He was also a prolific draughtsman, invariably using red chalk, a medium … Read more
Pieter Anthoniesz Barbiers (1717-1780)
A Woodland Landscape with Three Travellers Amsterdam, about 1760 Watercolour, pen and ink on paper, with pen and ink borders Sheet 438 x 534 mm; mount 727 x 800 mm The flourishing tradition of 18th-century Dutch landscape watercolours is little known in Britain. This fine woodland scene, which is comparable in many ways to the … Read more
Richard Earlom (1743-1822), after Lemeul Francis Abbott (1760-1802)
The Right Honourable Lord Nelson (1758-1805), Rear Admiral of the Blue London, 1798 Mezzotint on laid handmade paper 520 x 368 mm Nelson is shown in the uniform of a Rear Admiral of the British Navy. His chest is decorated with the Star and Ribbon of the Bath and the Naval Gold Medal, awarded for … Read more
Fabrizio Chiari (1621-1695), after Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
Venus and Mercury Rome, 1636 Etching Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of Beauty and Love, reclines languidly beside a golden chariot while Mercury, the Protector of the Arts, rests in the shade by her side. The soft plump curves of her body exemplify Renaissance ideals of beauty. In the foreground, Cupid fights with a … Read more
Anonymous
Apollo crowning a Poet 17th century Etching and engraving After Nicolas Poussin. Inscribed in pen verso lower right: V. Poliakoff 1930 717, and lower left in pencil: m. 303. Purchased 2005 (No.2005.2)
Claude Mellan (1598-1688)
Biblia sacra – Frontpiece 1642 Engraving 280 x 230 mm After Nicolas Poussin. Inscribed verso lower right: V. Poliakoff 1920 701, and lower left: 306. Purchased 2005 (No.2005.1)
Francesco del Pedro (1749-1806)
Eloisa Italy, 1700s Engraving 280 x 230 mm After Angelica Kauffman Purchased 2004 (No.2004.3)
Jan (Johan) Sadeler I, after Paul Bril (about 1554-1626)
Landscape with Rabbit Hunt Rome, after 1595 Etching and engraving 270 x 343 mm Multiple groups of hunters and dogs bound through the landscape in pursuit of birds and beasts. The rickety fences, meandering paths and natural disarray of the forest contrast with the neat town in the background. Sadeler uses strong contrast in tone … Read more
Aegidius Sadeler II (1570-1629)
Daedalus & Icarus Etching 234 x 304 mm In a scene based on the classical story of Daedalus and Icarus and their escape from Crete, Daedalus gestures with despair as his son Icarus falls from the sky. The ploughman looks up while the seated peasants laugh and point. This story was often associated with the … Read more
Edmond Xavier Kapp (1890-1978)
Pablo Picasso Paris, 1938 Lithograph 553 x 443 mm Purchased 1969 (No.69.9/243)
Jozef Israels (1824-1911)
The fisherman Paris, about 1883 Etching on wove paper, probably Japanese paper, with blind stamp 498 x 391 mm Almost identical to an oil painting of about 1883 entitled ‘The Fisherman’ or ‘The Struggle for Existence’, this etching portrays a man with his sleeves and trouser legs rolled up for fishing salmon. The work focuses … Read more
Pierre Drevet (1663-1738), after Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1763)
Portrait of Robert de Cotte Paris, 1722 Engraving on laid paper 566 x 390 mm This print reproduces Hyacinthe Rigaud’s portrait of Robert de Cotte (1656-1735), one of the most significant French architects of his time. Cotte is portrayed as a self-assured figure, dressed in richly embroidered fabrics that indicate his wealth. He is shown … Read more
Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (1518-1594)
Seated Man Seen from Above (recto); Seated Man Seen from the Side (verso) Black chalk 271 x 189 mm Purchased 1936 (No.36.6)
Fra Bartolommeo (1472-1517)
The Madonna and Child with Saints (recto); Two Figures (verso) Florence, about 1509 Black and yellow chalk heightened on white tinted paper 260 x 196 mm On the recto of this sheet there is a preparatory drawing for Fra Bartolommeo’s altarpiece in the church of San Marco in Florence. The altarpiece was painted by Fra … Read more
Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault (1791-1824)
The Flemish Farrier France, 1821 Lithograph 290 x 390 mm A rural working horse dominates this cramped and hot interior. A farrier with rolled-up sleeves and disheveled clothing works on the horse’s hoof, highlighted by bright white steam. This print formed part of Géricault’s publication The English Series – Various Subjects Drawn From Life. By … Read more
Andrea Andreani (c. 1560-1623)
Hercules and the Nemean Lion Mantua/Rome, about 1520 Chiaroscuro woodcut 250 x 188 mm Hercules is perhaps the best known classical hero. Killing the Nemean Lion was the first of his Twelve Labours, as series of challenges which atoned for the murder of his wife and sons, and demonstrated the triumph of Good over Evil. … Read more
Hendrik Goudt (1585-1630), after Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610)
The Mocking of Ceres Rome, 1610 Etching with engraving 319 x 247 mm An old woman protects a boy as he mocks Ceres, the goddess of nature, in this episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Ceres pauses to drink while searching for her daughter who has been abducted by Pluto, god of the underworld. The juxtaposition of … Read more
Cristofano Robetta (1462 – after 1534)
Allegory of the power of love Florence, about 1500-20 Engraving 302 x 280 mm In this complex but beguiling allegory of the vanity of carnal love, the nudity of the figures is integral to the subject. In the centre is a male ‘captive of love’ embracing a female personification of Voluptas (Pleasure). On the right, … Read more
José de Ribera (1591-1652)
José de Ribera The Poet 1622 Etching 163 x 128 mm Purchased 1955 (No.55.17)
Giorgio Ghisi (1520/4-1582)
An allegory of life (‘The dream of Raphael’) Paris, 1561 Engraving 380 x 540 mm Believed to have been inspired by Virgil’s Aeneid (19 B.C.), this work remains elusive in meaning. Ghisi’s frenetic attention to detail creates an intense, dream-like atmosphere of confusion. The splintered boat stranded amid the swirling water, jagged rocks and snarling … Read more
Stefano della Bella (1610-1664)
Les cinqs morts – Death in a grave with hourglass Italy, 1648 Etching with engraving 190 x 151 mm Purchased 1954 (No.55.5/5)
Stefano della Bella (1610-1664)
Les cinqs morts – Death carrying a woman Italy, 1648 Etching with engraving 190 x 151 mm Purchased 1954 (No.55.5/4)