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 of an idealised ancient … Read more
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 in a good … Read more
Sur La Terrasse, Montparnasse, Paris Paris, 1919-1920 Lithograph 390 x 495 mm A fragmented, crowded vision of Parisian nightlife. In this image a lively crowd socialises under a canopy of trees, while cars speed beneath flashing signs and lights around them. Nevinson created a painting of the same title and subject in 1925. During this … Read more
Returning to the Trenches London, 1916 Drypoint 152 x 202 mm This print depicts a platoon of French soldiers, recognisable by their uniforms, as they march back to duty in the trenches. Nevinson was conscripted in First World War but was discharged from service due to illness and acted as an official war artist from … Read more
Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of His Ancestors London, 1772 Mezzotint, third state 528 x 391 mm Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) painted the original of this work in 1772 and regarded it as one of his finest paintings. The tale of Miravan was penned by the poet John Gilbert Cooper, who reworked the Greek historian Herodotus’ account … Read more
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 soldier. Like … Read more
Lucas Vorsterman Antwerp, about 1630 Etching 248 X 160 MM 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 men’, later known … Read more
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 watercolours and … Read more
Henricus I (Henry the Fowler) Augsburg, 1745-50 Engraving 572 x 762 mm Klauber, a successful print maker and publisher in Augsburg, was greatly influenced by nature and medieval history. This richly detailed scene is one of thirteen he created featuring birds and hunts. A 10th-century German king, Henry I is generally considered to be the … Read more
Genoveva Dresden, 1848 Etching 420 X 250 MM 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 doe. Richter endows … Read more
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 by the distinct … Read more
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, intending to … Read more
Embrassons Nous Paris, 1867 Lithograph 286 x 283 mm Daumier produced around 5,000 caricatures during his career, which spanned an intense period of political unrest in France. In 1867, in a bid to appear more liberal, Napoleon III lifted the censorship ban he had imposed 15 years earlier. This cartoon was published soon after in Le … Read more
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 grounds. The garden … Read more
Auguste Rodin Paris, 1900 Etching 325 X 260 MM 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 simple crisp … Read more
Et pendant ce temps-là ils continuent à affirmer qu’elle ne s’est jamais mieux portée Paris, 1872 Lithograph 283 x 275 mm Daumier was a Republican, but there is no sense of triumph in this depiction of the Monarchy as a withered corpse in an open coffin. The Franco-Prussian War (1871-2) and resultant turmoil created horrifying living … Read more
Hercules and Cacus Haarlem, 1588 Woodcut 409 X 331 MM Hercules raises his club ready to strike Cacus, a fire-breathing monster, who cowers beneath him. The cows, which Cacus had stolen from Hercules, crowd the right-hand side. Secondary characters add to the chaos of the scene by cluttering the background. The focus, however, is firmly on … Read more
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 his 4 children. The … Read more
Querschnitt – Platin & Co. Germany, 1920 Lithograph 675 x 535 mm Overlapping scenes of wounded soldiers, prostitutes and bourgeois businessmen in a crowded and war torn metropolis were typical of Grosz’s work following the end of World War I. In 1914 and 1917 he was called up for service but was discharged within months … Read more
The companions of Cadmus devoured by the dragon Haarlem, 1588 Engraving 253 X 318 MM Goltzius worked with the artist, Cornelius van Haarlem, at the ‘Academy’ of Harlem, who made the painting (now at the National Gallery London) from which this engraving derives. Ripping claws, fangs gouging deep into flesh, scattered heads and shredded bodies … Read more
Loyalty, Plate 17 from ‘The Proverbs’ Spain, about 1816 Etching with aquatint and drypoint 244 X 357 MM 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 the licentious behaviour … Read more
The Lion Hunt Flanders, late 1620s Engraving with etching 428 x 596 mm This violent and dramatic hunting scene, after a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), shows horses, men and wild beasts masterfully entwined, the range of facial expressions and contorted poses portraying the fury and fierce determination of each. The central horse, legs outstretched, … Read more
Woman with dead child Berlin, 1903 Etching 425 X 490 mm 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 War. The … Read more
Crouching Woman Vienna, 1914 Drypoint 715 x 575 mm In this harrowing image, a thin woman with wounds to her body and hairs standing on end, appears imprisoned. Schiele created psychologically disturbing and erotic images of the body. In 1912 he was imprisoned for disseminating indecent drawings but by the time of this print … Read more
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 his earlier … Read more
The Bath House Nuremberg, about 1496 Woodcut 388 X 282 MM Dürer depicts an open-air bath house of a kind that was popular in northern Europe around 1500. Male figures are shown at different ages and in varied and complex poses, created by a network of crisp lines that curve and trace the surface of … Read more