Category Archives: Prints

German tales

Posted on October 28, 2012 by mercedes-c

The title-page of the Historische Kalender in the previous post is not the only representation of the story of William Tell in Douce’s collection. A series of plates entitled Wilhelm Tell. Nach Schillers Schauspiel and published by Philipp von Foltz … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Colour, Literature, Lithography, Poetry, Prints, Romances | Comments Off

“The best engraver on wood in Europe”

Posted on October 15, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce’s interest in German prints was not limited to early woodcuts and engravings; it also encompassed the work of contemporary printmakers. Next to what seems to be a proof for a title-page, Douce wrote ‘Unger of Berlin, The best engraver … Continue reading →

Posted in History of printmaking, Literature, Prints, Wood-engravings, Woodcuts | Comments Off

Douce’s Baked Apple Pudding

Posted on October 5, 2012 by mercedes-c

I have just finished cataloguing Douce’s folders of woodcuts, which contain quite a few illustrations from late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century German almanacs. The autumn months are often represented by apple-picking: In one of his commonplace books, Douce wrote down … Continue reading →

Posted in Almanacs, Everyday life, Prints, Seasons, Uncategorized, Woodcuts, Zodiac | Comments Off

Spot the prawns

Posted on September 28, 2012 by mercedes-c

Like the print of Moses mentioned in my previous post, this woodcut of the Madonna del Gamberone from Douce’s collection was probably destined to be pinned to the walls of somebody’s home: The original painting is kept in a chapel … Continue reading →

Posted in Colour, Pilgrimage, Popular prints, Prints, Religion, Woodcuts | Comments Off

Douce’s Annunciation

Posted on September 11, 2012 by mercedes-c

When told of Douce’s acquisition of a View of Clifton Ferry with a Holiday Party and Bristol Fair by Rolinda Sharples (1793-1838), his friend George Cumberland wrote that they had been ‘sold at an auction to Mr Douce who knows nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquaries, Collections and Collectors, Colour, Everyday life, History of printmaking, Paintings, Prints, Religion, Woodcuts | Comments Off

Sea-monsters and spinning sows

Posted on August 25, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce collected a remarkable number of woodcuts published by the Antwerp-based book-seller Joannes Norbertus Vinck. They are mostly popular prints, often coloured (a bit coarsely) in yellow and red. My favourite is this bespectacled spinning sow: Although the theme of … Continue reading →

Posted in Colour, Festivals, Popular prints, Prints, Woodcuts | Comments Off

Mid-August in Messina

Posted on August 15, 2012 by mercedes-c

Between 1782 and 1787, the French painter and printmaker Jean Hoüel (1735-1813) published a travel book entitled Le Voyage pittoresque des isles de Sicile, de Malte et de Lipari. Douce included one of the 264 plates that illustrated Hoüel’s work … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquatint, Festivals, Prints, Religion, Travel | Comments Off

Spanish rebus

Posted on August 7, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce’s collection contains a remarkable amount of Spanish prints. Apart from works by well-known artists such as Goya and Ribera, it is possible to find many rare devotional images and popular prints produced in Spain between the sixteenth and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Popular prints, Prints, Rebus, Religion | Comments Off

Rural sports

Posted on July 27, 2012 by mercedes-c

On the same day the Olympic Games are officially starting in London, and in the spirit of Douce’s wonderfully mad notebooks of Coincidences (Bodleian), the first image that came to my attention when opening the folder of prints to catalogue … Continue reading →

Posted in Colour, Drawings, Everyday life, Festivals, Games, Prints, Satirical prints, Sports | Tagged Olympics | Comments Off

A festival book

Posted on July 25, 2012 by mercedes-c

Two weeks after my post on tournaments, I have come across a few more prints on this subject, kept in a different location. Among Douce’s ‘miscellaneous woodcuts’, there are five hand-coloured illustrations taken from Ordenliche Beschreybung der Fürstlichen Hochzeyt… (Augsburg, 1568) … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquaries, Collections and Collectors, Colour, Festivals, Prints, Romances, Woodcuts | Comments Off