Lecture
Raphelengius Lecture 2019: 'The Print Before Photography' by Antony Griffiths (British Museum)
- Date
- Thursday 19 December 2019
- Time
- Series
- Museum Talks at the Leiden Department of Art History
- Location
-
University Library
Witte Singel 27
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- Vossius room
For nearly 400 years, the only way to print an image which went beyond the possibilities of moveable type, was by using human skill and labour. Two technologies were devised, one based on wooden blocks, the other on copper plates, both of which required a design to be created by cutting a network of lines into the matrix. These then had to be printed and distributed, and since images were language-independent, most could be sold across Europe. During the sixteenth century a huge industry developed within which were many specialised roles and distinct categories of production, a world that is now long dead and forgotten. This lecture introduces this business and its products, which ranged from the banal and everyday to some of the greatest achievements of European art.
Organized by Jacqueline Hylkema (Leiden University College) & Stijn Bussels (Art History Leiden & LUCAS)
To register for this lecture, please send a mail to j.j.hylkema@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
