Max Ernst Birds in Green, Rain USA, 1959 Etching with aquatint and mixed techniques printed in colours Forms of birds and hands frequently appear in this pattern of lines. Highly influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theories of the mind, Ernst experimented with automatic drawing, in which he used uncontrolled strokes in an attempt to represent the … Read more
Samuel Palmer The Rising Moon London, about 1855, published 1857 Etching on chine collé 269 x 366 mm A shepherd and his flock return home at evening in a scene also known as ‘An English Pastoral’. Palmer assembles different landscape elements, imagined and observed. The solitary figure, the sheep, and the moon are familiar from … Read more
Käthe Kollwitz Woman with dead child Berlin, 1903 Etching 42.5 X 49 cm The stark, animal-like figure of a woman passionately embraces the corpse of a young boy. In 1914 this became reality for the artist when her younger son, the model for the dead boy, died in the early months of the First World … Read more
Francisco de Goya Loyalty, Plate 17 from ‘The Proverbs’ Spain, about 1816 Etching with aquatint and drypoint 24.4 x 35.7 cm Goya’s final series of etchings, The Proverbs (Los Proverbios), also known as Disparetes or Absurdities, remain his most mysterious and enigmatic. Featuring a group of monks and friars, Loyalty appears to be concerned with … Read more
Francisco de Goya after Diego Velázquez The Dwarf El Primo Madrid, 1778 Etching 390 x 280 mm El Primo, named Diego de Acedo, was a dwarf in the service of the Spanish Royal Court during the 17th century. The books and documents around him indicate his intellectual occupation working in the Royal Printing office, but … Read more
Albert Besnard Auguste Rodin Paris, 1900 Etching 32.5 x 26 cm This portrait of the renowned sculptor captures the intimacy of the friendship between the two artists. A skilled draughtsman with a keen eye for detail, Besnard is known for revealing a sitter’s personality in his portraits. Presented here against a blank background and in … Read more
Rembrandt Harmensz Van Rijn Self-Portrait with Saskia Amsterdam, 1636 Etching Rembrandt and his wife Saskia are shown in historical dress in this self portrait from the 1630s. Well known for making self-portraits throughout his life, this etching shows the artist during his most prosperous decade before the tragic death of his wife and 3 of … Read more
Édouard Manet Charles Baudelaire Paris, 1865 Etching Composed after a photograph by the French photographer Nadar, this etching captures the immediacy of the original photographic image. The short busy lines swirl across the paper to build up the likeness of the art critic and poet Charles Baudelaire. Nadar took a direct approach to his portraiture, … Read more
Carl Wilhelm Kolbe A Youth Playing the Lyre to a Maiden at a Fountain in Luxuriant Vegetation Dessau, 1803 Etching The wild and overgrown foliage of this scene is a distinctive feature of Kolbe’s extraordinary and original art. He termed such images ‘Kraüerblätter’, or ‘vegetable leaves’. The intricate detail of the enlarged shrubbery is accentuated … Read more
Otto Dix Soldiers’ Graves Between the Lines Düsseldorf, 1924 Etching and aquatint 192 x 287 mm The full moon leers over the churned earth of a rat-infested mass grave; shattered body parts erupt from the soil. This nightmarish image is part of Dix’s print cycle Der Krieg (War), 1924, based on his memories as a … Read more
Giovanni Battista Piranesi The Villa d’Este, Tivoli Rome, 1773 Etching This engraving is from a series entitled Views of Rome. In this etching, Piranesi depicted the impressive gardens of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, originally built for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este (1509-1572). The inclusion of tiny figures on the steps emphasises the scale of the … Read more
Wenceslaus Hollar Queen Henrietta Maria London, 1641 Etching Henrietta Maria (1609-1669) was the daughter of Henri IV of France and the wife of Charles I. Although her Roman Catholicism alienated many of her subjects, she gave strong and devoted support to her husband. Wenceslaus Hollar was a prolific artist, producing nearly 2,800 prints and many … Read more
Anthony Van Dyck Lucas Vorsterman Antwerp, about 1630 Etching 24.8 x 16 cm Lucas Vorsterman (1595-1675) was a talented engraver who was employed by Rubens to create reproductions of the master’s work until a violent dispute ended their relationship. This engraving is one of 80 prints that appeared in Van Dyck’s series ‘portraits of famous … Read more
Adrian Ludwig Richter Genoveva Dresden, 1848 Etching 42 X 25 cm This tender portrayal of a mother and child is based on an 8th-century folk tale that was popularised during the 19th century. Condemned and abandoned by her husband, Genoveva and her child found sanctuary in the forest, where they are tended to by a … Read more
Paul Cézanne Guilaumin with the hanged man France, 1873 Etching Plate: 155 x 115 mm; paper 245 x 185 mm; mount 555 x 405 mm Purchased 1959 (No. 59.2)
Joseph Mallord William Turner Isis London, 1819 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 20.9 x 30 cm This image is highly reminiscent of Claude Lorrain and belongs to the elusive ‘E.P’ category. It was published in the forteenth and final installment of the Liber Studiorum series. The ruins in the foreground create a strong sense … Read more
Joseph Mallord William Turner The Chain of the Alps from Grenoble to Chambéri British, 1812 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 186 x 288 mm This plate appeared in the tenth part of the Liber Studiorum series, and is based on sketches made during Turner’s 1802 European tour. He travelled specifically to see the Alps … Read more
Francisco de Goya Don’t Scream, Silly (No Grites, Tonta) Madrid, 1799 Etching with aquatint and drypoint Plate: 21.5 x 15.8 cm, mount: 56 x 40.5 cm Plate 74 from Los Caprichos. Goya’s commentary reads: “Poor little Francisca! She was looking for the footman and she met the goblin. But don’t be afraid! The goblin is … Read more
Walter Sickert La Gaité, Montparnasse Montparnasse, about 1919 Etching and engraving Plate 14.1 x 10.7 cm; mount 15.8 x 11.9 cm Purchased 2016 (No. 2016.6) Bequeathed by Charles Branchini through the Art Fund
Francisco de Goya There is Something Beneath the Sackcloth (So el sayal, hay al) Spain, about 1816-24 Etching with aquatint and drypoint Plate: 24.5 x 35 cm; mount 51.8 x 63 cm Purchased 1956 (No. 56.14)
Walter Sicke Dieppe, Quai Henri IV Dieppe, 1915 Etching Plate: 19.5 x 13 cm; mount 21.4 x 14.7 cm Female singer at Café Vernet, Dieppe. Published by Carfax & Co. Purchased 2016 (No. 2016.5) Bequeathed by Charles Branchini through the Art Fund
Joseph Mallord William Turner The Lake of Thun London, 1808 Etching with mezzotint 18.3 x 29.2 cm Etched by JMW Turner and engraved by Charles Turner (no relation), this print was the third plate of the artist’s Liber Studorium, a series of landscape prints intended to advertise his range. The production of which caused a … Read more
Joseph Mallord William Turner Isleworth London, 1819 Etching with mezzotint 21 x 28.9 cm In 1804 Turner began renting Sion Ferry House at Isleworth in Twickenham and spent the summer of 1805 making oil sketches from a boat on the Thames. This print is based on those sketches and was published in the penultimate thirteenth … Read more
Pierre-Auguste Renoir The Dance in the Country France, date unknown Soft-ground etching Purchased 1959 (No. 59.9)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler The “Adam and Eve”, Old Chelsea London, 1879 Etching on fine Japanese paper 17.6 x 30.4 cm Whistler’s depiction of life on the Thames in Chelsea is retrospective. This work shows an old riverside inn, The Adam and Eve, next to rows of dilapidated buildings which were demolished during the early … Read more
John Sloan Fifth Avenue Circus (New York City Life Series) American, 1905 Etching Plate: 12.2 x 17.3 cm; sheet: 25.4 x 32.1 cm Gifted by Delaware Art Museum and the Helen Farr Sloan Estate in 2017 (No. 2017.1/2)
