Art by Medium: Engraving

George Zachary Constant (American/Greek 1892-1978), "Untitled: Head Of A Woman No. 2", Portrait/ Figurative Etching and Drypoint signed on Paper, 12.50 x 8.75 (15.25 x 11.50 Framed),...

Leonard Merchant's mezzotint, "Snail in Cup" is inscribed for fellow artist, Fritz Eichenberg. While a student at the Central School for Arts and Crafts in London, a young Leonard Marchant found an engraving rocker in a cupboard and proceeded to turn himself into a master of the painstaking art of mezzotinting. Marchant, who has died in Shrewsbury aged 70, grew up in Simonstown, the Royal Navy's enclave in South Africa. Though his first job was as a parliamentary messenger, he taught himself to paint and, aged 19, was given a one-man show in Cape Town. Fired by this success, he left for England to study painting and, he claimed, to escape the stifling home atmosphere created by his Catholic mother and aunts. (His father was killed in the second world war.) Without contacts in London, he phoned Jacob Epstein, whose recommendation resulted in a grant to study briefly at the Central School. It was later, when studying full-time at the Central, that he saw the mezzotints of the Japanese master, Yozo Hamaguchi, in a London gallery. He was hooked. Creating a mezzotint is tedious in the extreme. The copper plate must first be prepared with a "rocker" which roughens the surface. A plate may be "rocked" 30 or 40 times. The rough texture is then reduced with a burnisher and a scraper, allowing the print a range of tones from velvety black through the greys to white. Marchant's plates could be months in the making. But the technical demands were the least of his worries. In its 18th- and 19th-century heyday, mezzotint was solely a reproductive medium, for copying masters such as Reynolds and Turner. The development of photography rendered it unfashionable, and by the 1960s the technique, known as la manière anglaise, was a bygone medium. Marchant, by now a teacher in printmaking at the Central, began to create original mezzotints with a colleague, Radavan Kraguly. A perfectionist, he seemed to revel in the straitjacket procedure. Perhaps it was the metaphor of bringing darkness out of light that appealed to this straight-talking, sometimes sombre, man, who would suddenly relax and light up like a gleaming hue on one of his prints. His work was of squares and triangles with the occasional cat, black and ominous, and carefully arranged still lifes, featuring plants, a seed pod, a pot he might have bought at auction to celebrate the sale of a print. There were one-man shows, notably at the Bankside Gallery. He sold well at the Royal Academy summer exhibition, was a Florence Biennale prizewinner, spent a fellowship year at the British School in Rome, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. But making mezzotints was not a paying job. Marchant and his South African wife...

Delicate drypoint etching of two girls by Dorian Krausz (American, b. 1948). Signed "Dorian Krausz" in the lower right corner. Numbered "196/300" in the lower left corner. Presented ...

Peter Voulkos (American, 1924-2002) Atlantis Codex Series II, 1984 Drypoint/etching Pencil signed lower right, edition 3/35 Image: 24in H x 17 3/4in L. Sheet: 30in H x 22 1/2 in L. ...

Carol Wax describes her circular images as "most often quasi abstract works that refer to ancient islamic designs using the shapes and attributes of animals, in this case the zebra. ...

This black and white mezzotint of a shell next to a violin is an artist proof that was inscribed Happy New Year 2000 and signed by the artist. The regular e...

Engraving, 1964 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered on 50 Annoted "EA" Catalog : [Rheims 45, p. 45] 56.00 cm. x 76.00 cm. 22.05 in. x 29.92 in. (paper) 47.00 cm. x 60.00...

Landscape with Window and Chair Mezzotint on wove paper, 2000 Signed in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 150 (93/150) (see photo) Special Presentation Print for the Print Club...

Salvador Dalí­ Place Furstenberg, 1971 Drypoint etching Hang signed lower right Numbered 55/250 lower left Image size 31.5 x 38.5 cm Sheet size 50 x 64 cm Printed by Moret Publisher...

Shades of blacks and grays on a fallen branch create a pleasing pattern contrasted with grasses and ferns that lie beneath. Christine Ravaux is a Belgian artist who uses nature in m...

This is a scarce richly hand colored copper plate engraved map of Africa entitled "Guinea Propria, nec non Nigritiae vel Terrae Nigrorum Maxima Pars" by Johann Baptist Homann (1664-1...

This is an artist's proof (xv/xv) of an early telephone that is signed and numbered by the artist in pencil Schkolnyk was born in Paris, France in 195...

Luis Gordillo (Spain, 1934) 'Sin título', 2000 engraving on paper 15 x 10.7 in. (38 x 27 cm.) Edition of 75 ID: GOR1205-013-000_2 Hand-signed by author

This is an 18th century mezzotint portrait of Elizabeth, Countess of Northumberland, Baroness Percy by Richard Houston after a painting by Joshua Reynolds, published in London by Robert Sayer in 1763. It is a rare, full length portrait of Elizabeth, who was known as Lady Betty. Lady Betty stands, facing to the right, holding her coronet, and wearing her peeress’s ermine and velvet robes over a brocade dress. In the background are a column, a billowing drape, and the grounds of Alnwick Castle...

Hino creates a still life of a lotus from an edition of 65. A prominent figure in Buddhist and Egyptian culture, and native flower for both India and Vietnam, the lotus holds enormous symbolic weight. It spans various thousand-year-old Eastern cultures and yet, is still considered one of the most sacred flowers today. So what is it about this mysterious blossom that people find so enrapturing? Its colorful bloom is an obvious suspect, but the lotus also has a life cycle unlike any other. With its roots based in mud, it submerges every night into murky river water, and—undeterred by its dirty environment—it miraculously re-blooms the next morning without residue on its petals. Although cultures have their own interpretations of this daily process, there is a general consensus among ancient texts...

Milton, Peter (American, born 1930). INTERIORS IV: HOTEL PARADISE CAFE. Milton 110. Resist-ground etching and engraving on copper, 1987. Edition of 175. Signed and dated in pencil. P...

This is an original hand-colored 17th century map of Belgium by Nicolaus (Nicolas) Visscher II entitled "Belgium Foederatum emendate auctum et novissime editum", published in Amsterdam in 1678. The map shows the seven provinces comprising the Belgium federation or the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands or the Dutch Republic as it was also known. The republic was formed when an alliance of seven Dutch provinces in the Spanish Netherlands revolted against rule by Spain in 1579 (the Union of Utrecht) and declared their independence in 1581 (the Act of Abjuration). The seven provinces were Groningen, Frisia, Overijssel, Guelders, Utrecht, Holland and Zeeland. This was a predecessor state to the Netherlands and the first fully independent Dutch nation state. Amsterdam, Delft, Rouen, Utrecht, Brugge, Ghent, and Antwerp are all included on the map. A small inset map in the lower right depicts the course of the Maas River from Maastricht to Wessem. There is a decorative cartouche in the upper left corner and a distance scale cartouche in the lower right corner. The map is presented in an attractive antiqued medium brown-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trim and a light tan-colored fabric mat. The frame measures 26.63" high by 30" wide by 0.75" deep. There is some darkening of the red areas in the map, presumably related to oxidation of the original iron containing pigment over time. There are also a few scattered spots. The map is otherwise in very good condition. The Visscher family were one of the great cartographic families of the 17th century. Begun by Claes Jansz Visscher...

Mixed technique on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 34.7 x 38.2 x 1.8 cm

A play on words provides the title for this image -- a circle created out of the deconstructed parts of Singer IV This image is #37 from an edition of only 50, referenced as Firos 78...

Wonderful and evocative abstracted dry point etching of dragon fly and barbed wire titled "Rebirth" by Tomoya Uchida (Japanese, b. 1947). Presented in new custom cut mat. Unframed. Image size: 9"H x 15"W Titled "Unremembered Dream" along the bottom edge. Signed and dated "T. Uchida '89" in the lower right corner. Presented in a new custom-cut mat with foam core backing. Tomoya Uchida (Japanese, b. 1947) was born in Tsuyama City in the Okayama prefecture in Japan. He graduated from Doshisha University, Kyoto, in 1970, and went on to become the artist-in-residence at the KALA Institute of Prints in Berkeley, CA, in 1989. He then moved to Australia, where he studied under Prof. Jorg Schmeisser...

Color mezzotints depicting the landscape of coastal Maine. This is one of eighteen (printed on chine collé) with intimations of the Arts and Crafts Movement from the early twentieth ...

An exclusive publication for Stone and Press Gallery, "Snow Does" was created in an edition of 100. It is FIROS #66 in the catalogue raisonne. Carol Wax originally trained to be a classical musician at the Manhattan School of Music but fell in love with printmaking. Soon after she began engraving mezzotints she was asked by the renowned print dealer Sylvan Cole to exhibit at Associated American Artists Gallery, launching her career as a professional artist/printmaker. With the publication of her book, The Mezzotint: History and Technique, published by Abrams, 1990 and 1996, Carol added author and teacher to her credits. In the ensuing years she has expanded her repertoire of mediums beyond printmaking into other works on paper and painting. In compositions reflecting an appreciation for antiquated machinery and vintage textiles, Wax creates imagery that, in her own words, “… speaks to an inner life perceived in inanimate objects.” She uses stylization and imagination to reinvent subjects, transforming an ordinary typewriter into a monumental icon...

Boris Margo is one of the artists whose work is instantly identified with 'Mid-century American Modernism.' Usually abstract with a spiky surrealist edge, it speaks to extensive inno...

"Dessine par Gallier" is a hand-colored engraving and etching by Pierre Laurent (1739-1809) and Pierre Audouin (1768-1822) after a painting by Eustache Le Sueur...

This large hand-colored map entitled "Le Royaume de Naples Divisé en Douze Provinces. sur les Memoires les plus Nouveaux. Par le Sr. Sanson Presenté" was originally created by Nicholas Sanson d'Abbeville and published by Hubert Jaillot in "Atlas Nouveau" in Paris in 1692. It depicts central and southern Italy, as well as Corfu, Albania, Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Naples, Sorrento, the Isle of Capri, Rome in the upper left corner of the map, as well as many other landmarks. This striking original hand-colored map of Italy is printed on antique hand-made laid, chain-linked paper with wide margins. The sheet measures 20" high and 24.88" wide. There is one spot on the left, it is otherwise in very good to excellent condition. Nicholas Sanson d'Abbeville (1600-1667) was one of the greatest French cartographather of French cartography. Sanson opened his first printing business in Paris in 1638. The king recognized his skill and knowledge and made him the official geographer to the court. He eventually served two kings in this capacity. Sanson was succeeded by his sons and son...

This Winslow Homer wood engraving entitled "On the Beach at Long Branch, The Children's Hour", was published in Harper's Weekly in the August 15, 1874 ed...

Carol Wax's mezzotint, Singer II looking at the end of the typewriter portrays the incised metal and the wood grain of the machine. It was issued as an edition of 75. This image is i...

Andre DERAIN Antic Beauty Original drypoint etching Stamp signature of the artist On vellum 45 x 34 cm (c. 18 x 14 in) Excellent condition

Color drypoint etching and aquatint on Arches paper, edited on 1977. Limited edition of 75 copies, numbered as 70/75 in lower left corner.
 Hand-signed in pencil by artist in lower r...

Nestor Arenas (Cuba, 1964) 'Yellow Structure I', 2021 etching, aquatint on paper 21.3 x 27.2 in. (54 x 69 cm.) Edition of 10 ID: ARN-101 Unframed

"Church of St. Aignan Chartres" Etching in Ink on Paper (Demonstration Plate) Delicate and detailed drypoint etching of the Church of St. Aignan in Chartres, France by John Taylor Arms (American, 1887-1953). The viewer stands in an alley near the church, looking out of the shadows at the sunlit towers. The architectural details of the church are well-captured, including the texture of the stone walls, the roof, and ornamental detail. Titled, signed, dated, and inscribed along the bottom edge: Sketch, Saint Aignon, Chartres John Taylor Arms 1950 The inscription includes details about production, as well as a dedication "To my friends Georgia and Jasper Mathews, with my sincerest good wishes" Presented in a wood frame with an off-white mat. Frame size: 12.5"H x 9.25"W Image size: 7"H x 4.5"W John Taylor Arms was born in Washington, DC in 1887. He studied law at Princeton University, transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, to study architecture, graduating in 1912. After serving as an officer in the United States Navy during World War I, he devoted himself full-time to etching. He published his first original etchings in 1919. His initial subject was the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City near which he worked. Arms developed a successful career as a graphic artist in the 1920s and 1930s, specializing in series of etchings of Gothic churches and cathedrals in France and Italy. In addition to medieval subjects, Arms made a series of prints of American cities. He used sewing needles and magnifying glasses to get a fine level of detail. A member of many printmaking societies, Arms served as president of the Society of American Graphic Artists. An educator, Arms wrote the Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers (1934) and did numerous demonstrations and lectures. Arms was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member in 1930, and became a full member in 1933. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics...

The British Driven From Boston by Allen Lewis is a powerful and dramatic engraving created circa 1932 for the landmark portfolio The Bicentennial Pageant of George Washington, issued...

The moon, bowls, lillies and birds are featured in this 2002 mezzotint. It is #17 from an edition of 75 and is signed, titled, dated and edition by hand by this Korean artist born i...

Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Untitled XII (Le Tricorne) Series: Le Tricorne (The Three-Pointed Hat) Date: 1959 Medium: Wood engraving Unframed Dimensions: 12.6" x 8.8" Framed...

Engraving, 1958 Handsigned by the artist in pencil Edition : 259/300 Publisher : Galerie de France (Paris) Printer : Atelier Lacourière (Paris) Catalog : [Schmücking 74, p.75] 25.50 ...

To see our other views of Oxford and Cambridge, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the view you want. David Loggan (1634 - 1692) New College, Oxford (1705) Engraving 31 x 49 cm Loggan was born to English and Scottish parents, and was baptised in Danzig in 1634. After studying engraving in Danzig with Willem Hondius (1598-1652 or 1658), he moved to London in the late 1650s, going on to produce the engraved title-page for the folio 1662 Book of Common Prayer. He married in 1663 and moved to Nuffield in Oxfordshire in 1665. Loggan was appointed Public Sculptor to the nearby University of Oxford in the late 1660s, having been commissioned to produce bird’s-eye views of all the Oxford colleges. He lived in Holywell Street as he did this. The 'Oxonia Illustrata' was published in 1675, with the help of Robert White (1645 - 1704). Following its completion, Loggan began work on his equivalent work for Cambridge; the 'Cantabrigia Illustrata' was finally published in 1690, when he was made engraver to Cambridge University. The 'Oxonia Illustrata' also includes an engraving of Winchester College...

This image is an artist proof and is annotated VIII / VIII The artist's subject matter was enigmatic: a recurring theme was that of anonymous packages tied with knots of rope; sometimes there are prison bars...

This is an original 18th Century copper plate engraved portrait of Captain James Cook as a young man. It was engraved by J. Basire after a painting by William Hodges, published in London by W. Strahan and T. Cadell in the Strand in 1777 as the frontispiece to the official journal publication of Cook's 2nd voyage of discovery, "A voyage towards the South Pole, and round the World. Performed in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775". The journal was written by James Cook, Commander of the Resolution, which was the ship used for the voyage and William Hodges, who was the artist on board the ship. This famous image has been used in many articles and tributes to Captain Cook, including a Norfolk Island stamp celebrating his many accomplishments. This engraved head-and-shoulders portrait of Captain Cook is enclosed in an oval with the appearance of a stone border. Captain Cook is dressed in his naval dress uniform, with a topcoat over a lace shirt. The engraving is printed on watermarked laid, chain-linked paper. The sheet measures 11.5" high x 9" wide. There is some spotting, most prominently in the margins. The print is otherwise in excellent condition. Captain James Cook (1728-1779) was an English explorer, navigator, surveyor and cartographer, who dramatically changed what was known about the world through his three voyages of discovery in the 1770's. Cook's achievements are too numerous to include here, but for example, Cook charted much of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many island groups, including the Hawaiian islands, which he named the Sandwich Islands, in honor of the head of the British Admiralty and a patron of Cook's. Cook was the first European to explore the eastern coast of Australia, and he was the first to map the New Zealand coastline. He sailed farther south than any other explorer before him, disproving the belief that a huge land mass occupied the South Pole. He also explored the northwest coast of North America, including present day Alaska and adjacent portions of Russia. He proved that the Northwest Passage did not exist. Cook was an exceptional seaman, navigator and leader of men, which contributed to the success of his explorations, but also saved his ship and crew on many occasions when faced with challenges, such as storms in previously unexplored waters, like occurred in the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. He is also the first to require his crew to eat citrus fruit which markedly reduced the incidence of survey, which had led to large scale illness and death during earlier ocean voyages. As outstanding as Cook's skills were, they are even more impressive since they were self-taught. Having grown up the son of a farmhand in Northern England he had only four years of formal schooling. He taught himself astronomy, mathematics and other disciplines which were helpful when he continued his education, first in the merchant marine and then in the British Navy. Cook's adventurous career came to a sudden and unfortunate end in 1779, when he was killed in a confrontation with Hawaiian natives...

Richard DAVIES (1945-1991) Barrel Organ and Ballerina Original etching and mezzotint Handsigned in pencil Numbered / 25 On vellum 28 x 19 cm (c. 11 x 8 i...

This is a 17th century portrait engraving of Saint Vincent de Paul by Gerard Edelinck (1640-1707) after a painting by Simon Francois (1606-1671), published in Charles Perrault's 'Les Hommes Illustres' in Paris in 1696. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was a French Catholic...

Shades of blacks and grays on a fallen branch create a pleasing pattern contrasted with grasses and ferns that lie beneath. Christine Ravaux is a Belgian artist who uses nature in m...

Chute d’un Ange is an original drypoint on laid paper realized by Félicien Rops, hand monogrammed and inscribed "Ah! N'insultez jambs une femme qui tombe!". In very good conditions....

Andrés Barajas (Spain, 1941) 'La inquisición', ca.1990-1999 engraving on paper 20.9 x 15 in. (53 x 38 cm.) Edition of 225 ID: BAR1017-001-225 Hand-signe...

John Alfred Wheeler, British (1821 - 1903) - The Paddock, Year: 1894, Medium: Engraving, signed in the plate lower right, Image Size: 21.75 x 19.25 inches, Frame Size: 29 x 26.25...

Medium: mezzotint Year: 2018 Edition: 30 Image Size: 19 x 19 inches Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist Montage of scenes of the street below as seen from the artist...

Avati, Mario. NATURE MORT AUX ALLUMETTES. Mezzotint, 1959. 8 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches, 216 x 274 mm. Edition of 75, numbered 46/75, titled and signed in pencil. In excellent condition.

A still-life print of renowned jazz sing - Billie Holiday. This contemporary portrait artwork of Billie Holiday captures the glamour of the Jazz Age. Painting by Kate Boxer Additi...

John Samuel Raven, After by Charles Cousen, English (1829 - 1877) - Twilight In The Wood, Portfolio: New Gallery of British Art, Year: 1882, Medium: Engraving, Image Size: 10.75...

This is an early 18th century map of Spain and Portugal, with attractive original hand-coloring, entitled "Hispaniae et Portugalliae Regna per Nicolaum Visscher cum Privilegio Ordinum Hollandiae et Westfrisiae" first published by Nicolaes Visscher II (1649-1702) in 1688, and later re-published from Visscher's original copper plate by Peter Schenk, Junior in Amsterdam in 1725. The cartouche in the right lower corner depicts a coat of arms representing one combined kingdom of Spain and Portugal before their break-up. Putti hold up the coat-of-arms of Phillip II on the right and a queen reaches for it on the left. There is a scale cartouche in the lower left corner surmounted by two putti and a wheel. This is an outstanding depiction of the Iberian peninsula, showing Spain and Portugal and Balearic Islands. The map includes portions of North Africa and the Strait of Gibralter. This copperplate engraved map is presented in a cream-colored mat. It is printed on fine chain-linked, laid paper. The mat measures 26.5" high by 30" wide and the sheet measures 21.75" high by 26.375" wide. There is a central fold, as issued. The lower portion of the fold is reinforced on the verso. There is a small paper defect at the lower edge of the fold and another at the edge of the right corner, as well as a few small tears along the lower edge; none affecting the map and all covered by the mat. There are a few small faint spots in the upper margin and on the left. The map is otherwise in very good condition. The Visscher family were one of the great art and cartographic printing families of the 17th century. Begun by Claes Jansz Visscher...

This is an original etching and drypoint realized by Joan Miró in 1975. Hand signed in pencil on the lower right and numbered on the lower left. Edition of 75 prints. It represents ...

Ernesto Garcia Peña (Cuba, 1949) 'Our time" (from Porfolio Grabados Cubanos)', 1977 linocut print on paper Canson 320 g. 23.6 x 17.6 in. (59.8 x 44.6 cm.) Edition of 200 Ref: GAE-309...

This artwork titled "Drypoint Lambda II" 1980 is an original etching by noted American artist Ronald Davis, b.1937. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 9/25 in pencil by the artist...

David Shapiro (American, b. 1922) Waterfall I (de-accessioned from the Denver Art Museum), 1979 Spit-bite etching, drypoint and carborundrum on Lanaq...

This detailed Dutch map entitled "Het Beloofe de Landt Canaan door wandelt van onsen Salichmaecker Iesu Christo, nessens syne Apostelen" by Nicolaes Visscher (1610-1679), published i...

Laslett John Pott, After by William Greatbach, English (1837 - 1898) - The Defense, Portfolio: New Gallery of British Art, Year: 1882, Medium: Engraving, Image Size: 6.75 x 9.75 ...

A detailed 18th/19th century engraving after Raphael's (1483-1520) fresco 'Disputation of the Holy Sacrament'. A later strike of the 1722 engraving by Francesco Faraone Aquila (1676-...

This is an original 19th century hand-colored stipple engraving by William Hooker entitled "The Red Doyenne Pear", published in London as plate 14 in the 'Transactions of the Horticu...

This is an early 17th century map entitled "Nova Famigerabilis Insulae Ac Ducatus Rugiae Desciptio" (Map of Rugen Island, Germany) by Gerard Mercator and Henricus and Joducus Hondiu...

Bernard Sanders (1906-1967) was a master at suggesting layers of meaning. Here, at first glance, this is study of sisters, posed to show subtle differences in height and profile. But...

Jim Dine, Self Portrait 1971 drypoint on Hodgkinson Hand Made Tone-Weave paper Paper 18 x 14 in. / 46 x 36 cm Plate 8 x 6 in. / 20 x 15 cm plate seven from Self Portraits (1971) port...