Joseph Cundall

Name: A Brief History of Wood-engraving — Chapter 3
Author: Joseph Cundall

A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

Summary

“A Brief History of Wood-engraving — Chapter 3”, published in 1895, is a work by Joseph Cundall. It explores elements such as engraving, cut and block.

Quotes from A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (Joseph Cundall)

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ The Figure Alphabet.—In the Print Room of the British Museum there is a curious little book (six inches by four inches in size) in which nearly all the letters of the alphabet are formed by grotesque figures of men. Except that it was bequeathed to the Museum by Sir George Beaumont, no one knows anything of its history; but internal evidence warrants us in attributing it to the work of an engraver of the first half of the fifteenth century. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ The art really came into existence in the first quarter of that famous fifteenth century. There were scores of men at that time who could carve excellently well in stone or wood, or who could design and make beautiful jewels, and some of these men, probably monks in their monasteries, as well as secular craftsmen, drew and cut the first wood-engraving. No one knows who they were.
Up to the year 1475 the original method of wood-cutting changed very little; nearly every print was in outline with a thick and a thin line. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ The diabolus on his right says Provideas amicis—'You may provide for your friends.' The heads of the diaboli in this print are more laughable than terrible, and suggest the make-up of a pantomime rather than the demons who are messengers of the Evil One. On the next page an angel gives good counsel to the dying man, a figure of Christ on the cross is at his bed's head, and the Mother of Christ blesses him. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ The sick man's bed is on the roof of his house! A diabolus, as tall as the house, points to a youth—possibly the heir, who is leading a very Flemish-looking horse into a doorway—and says, Intende thesauro—take care of your treasures. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ In the foreground an angel is driving away a man and woman, who are evidently in great grief, and a crouching demon says, Quid faciam—'What can I do?' Pictures like this appealed forcibly to the minds of the laity in the middle ages, and were doubtless fully explained to the uneducated by the religious dwellers in the monasteries and convents which at that time abounded throughout Europe. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ In the cut forming the letter L a young man is leaning on a sword, on the blade of which is plainly written London, and on the cloak of the youth lying below we read, in a current hand usual at that date, the word Bethemsted. The figures, grotesque as they are, were drawn by a better artist than those who designed the block books. We know that the art of engraving was in a very low state in England at the time we are speaking of ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ There is but one quite perfect copy of the first edition of this book known, and this fortunately is in the British Museum. It was bought at the Weigel sale in Leipsic in 1872 for the large sum of £1,072 10s., exclusive of commission.
Canticum Canticorum.—The Church's Love unto Christ prefigured in 'The Song of Songs which is Solomon's.' This is a much more pleasing book than the 'Apocalypsis.' The figures are more gracefully designed and the engraver has shown much more knowledge of his art; the indications of shading are in many instances very happily given. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Joseph Cundall, A Brief History of Wood-engraving… (1895)

“ In the letter F, which we have given as an illustration, very much reduced from the original, a tall man is blowing a very long trumpet; a youth, bending down to form the crotch of the letter, is beating a tabor ”

Joseph Cundall

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