A Brief History of Wood-engraving From Its InventionCundall, Joseph
History
A Brief History of Wood-engraving From Its Invention
Cundall, Joseph
Wood-engraving -- History
Dürer made also many drawings on wood which were engraved and printed under
his immediate supervision, and issued in separate sheets. Of one of the
most beautiful, of these, 'The Virgin crowned by two Angels,' we are able
to give an impression which is an exact facsimile (reduced) of a print of
the year 1518. Nothing of its kind can exceed the brilliancy of the
original, the engraving is as nearly perfect as possible, and were it not
for the hardness of the lines in the faces and other objects where softness
is required, no craftsman of the present day could surpass its excellence
as a product of the printing-press. Many other separate large
wood-engravings, after Dürer's drawings, appeared between the years 1510
and 1518, such as 'The Holy Family with the three Rabbits,' 'St. Jerome in
his Chamber,' 'The Flight into Egypt,' 'Beheading of St. John the Baptist,'
and, among other strange subjects, a representation of a Rhinoceros. {74}
Dürer also designed a frontispiece to his own book of poems, published in
1510.
Three magnificent books illustrated with woodcuts of great size, the
'Theuerdank,' the 'Werskunig,' and the 'Freydal,' appeared in Germany early
in the sixteenth century. The first is an epic relating to the Emperor
Maximilian's journey to Burgundy on matrimonial affairs; it was published
in 1517. Hans Schaufelein drew the designs for a hundred and eighteen cuts,
measuring 6½ inches by 5½ inches each. The second is in honour of the
Emperor's journeys in distant lands, and the third to celebrate his deeds
of prowess. There are 237 designs, chiefly by Hans Burgkmair of Augsburg,
in the 'Werskunig'; the blocks are still preserved; they remained unused
till long after the Emperor's death, and were not published till 1775. The
'Freydal' has never been completed, though the designs are still in
existence.
_THE TRIUMPHS OF MAXIMILIAN_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account