China Revealed..

"China and the Chinese. A series of views from original sketches, displaying the scenery, architecture, social habits, etc., of this ancient and exclusive empire. by Thomas Allom Esquire."

China is a vast country with a huge population and a long history of dynastic empires and battles that span thousands of years. In 1842, at the end of the first Opium Wars with Britain, China became accessible to the West through the newly-acquired British port of Hong Kong. China’s different customs, dress, transport and architecture, combined with unfamiliar religious and superstitious beliefs, created an exotic image. China's amazing natural land formations, engineering achievements, production of porcelain, silk, cotton, tea and rice, all fascinated the British.

The Opium Wars resulted when the Chinese authorities tried to stop the British East India Company’s supply of opium from India. Britain sent war ships from India to protect their ships and their trade. Chinese junks were no match for the British navy. With surrender, the Chinese ceded Hong Kong to the British. There are some wonderful scenes showing this battle.

One of the first westerners to accommodate the enormous British interest in China was English architect and Royal Academy-trained artist, Thomas Allom (1804-1872), whose passion was historical art. For circulation to the British population (and for us enjoy today), skilled topographical engravers were commissioned to produce steel-engravings of Allom’s sketches for publication in London in 1843. They proved so popular that they were re-issued in 1845 and again in 1849. Today it is the 1845 edition of these engravings that are mostly seen, as they were issued in groups of six with flimsy paper wrappers that rarely survived handling. Traditionally, these steel engravings have been hand-tinted with watercolour to highlight their fine detail.

Allom drew intricate architectural scenes incorporating grand city gates, temples, homes of mandarins and wealthy merchants, and the beautiful porcelain tower (pictured). He showed the elaborate lifestyle of the ruling classes and the general populace at work and relaxing – including an infamous opium den. Along with commodity production processes, Allom shows an “itinerant” barber and “itinerant” doctor at work, and the more leisurely trade of fishing using the cormorants. Elegantly composed scenes incorporate practical bamboo aqueduct and irrigation wheels, colourful celebrations of the 5^th day of the 5^th moon with the dragonboat, the 9^th day of the 9^th moon with kite-flying, and many other traditional spectacles – and even famous burial places.

As populations grow, traditions change, and constructions disappear, we are fortunate that Thomas Allom used his architectural and artistic skill, his dedication and passion, to create a marvellous historic overview of China and the Chinese. These images of a fascinating centuries-old country, are available from time to time. View Thomas Allom's China at www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-29-views-general .

Understand and Appreciate Antique Prints

Understanding the process and Appreciating the work involved in Antique Prints.

For a better understanding of your finely detailed antique print, you might like to know a little about the process involved in its printing. Firstly, “printing” entails the transference of ink from a prepared printing surface (the block, plate or stone carrying the image) to the piece of paper. Ink can be carried on raised parts of a printing surface (relief process), in lowered carved or etched grooves (intaglio process), or on the surface itself (planographic or surface printing).

The relief process is an ancient method, where the relief surface is ready for printing once all the non-printing areas have been cut away from the original surface (as with a rubber stamp), leaving the area raised to receive the ink from a roller.

The intaglio process is almost the reverse of this, as the ink is held in the grooves that have been carved or etched into the engraving plate. The varying intensity of the ink is achieved by the different width and depth of the grooves incised by a hand-guided tool or by etching with the application of acid. After the ink has fully penetrated the recesses, the plate is wiped. The paper is then dampened and is subjected to considerable pressure to transfer the ink from the grooves of the engraving plate. This pressure leaves a plate mark known as the intaglio impression.

The planographic style of printing is the most in use today. With a lithograph the printing surface remains flat as the process relies on the principle that grease repels water. The design is drawn on to the prepared stone with greasy ink; previously a zinc crayon was used. The plate is then washed with water that is absorbed by the stone yet repelled where the image has been drawn. The plate is then rolled over with a greasy printer’s ink that adheres only to the drawn marks as the water repels the ink from the rest of the plate. Then the ink is transferred to the paper through a press. Lithography is rather a complex process even though the principle is straightforward.

APPRECIATING Antique Prints..
For multiple copies nowadays, offset lithography is generally used. For individual instantaneous images, printing is usually done by ink-jet or laser-printing of an image captured by a digital camera. This of course negates the need for all the effort and skill of bygone days; however, the clarity of a digital image, no matter how skillful, will never capture the personal style of the engraving or linework of the early artists. Nor is the amazing history of early discovery imparted in modern direct representation.

The romance of a voyage of discovery, as delineated by an engraver, whether of the charting of a newly discovered coastline or the unusual flora or fauna seen there, was often imaginatively embellished, either from disbelief of the sketch from afar, or personal belief in rumour of alternate knowledge. Antique prints and maps portray the story of the world’s development and sophistication. Unlike digital replication, the fine details of original antique engravings was often also combined with an artist’s skillful colouring by blending watercolours with gouache, gum Arabic, and even in some works, gold or silver leaf, to achieve the exceptional style of each individual work. Antique prints and maps will always be treasured, not only for their beautiful combination and science and art, but also because the rarity of each illustration on paper increases with the passage of time.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)

While we're on the subject of classical artists, we should mention the brilliance of a man whose work is popular today - even though his name is often unknown.

An architect by profession, Giovanni Battista Piranesi was a graphic artist of technical brilliance and of great expressive range. His amazing stone structures often combined fantasy themes from his Baroque training, with his Roman archaeological discoveries. Piranesi's extensive work in the field of Roman archaeology was acknowledged by his election to the Society of Antiquaries of London.

His absorption with classical antiquity was reflected in Piranesi's imaginative restoration of antiquities he found, their subsequent sale, and also their incorporation into creations for his many British patrons and collectors. He is perhaps most famous for his superb well-defined copperplate illustrations of these works - in particular his Urns - which are still appreciated as contemporary decor. These he engraved and etched for "Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi y Sarcofagi, Tripodi Lucerne ed Ornamenti Antichi” published in Rome between 1773 and 1778. They are available as original Antique Prints at www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-22-classicaldesign and Heritage Editions fine reproduction prints at  www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-46-classicaldesign.

Grand 18th Century Classical Architecturals

Have you ever had a great holiday at the other end of the world, and returned, still marvelling at the wonderful classical style found in the centuries old buildings there? You may not be able to build your own stone chateau or even construct a country mansion like you saw in Europe, but have you considered bringing the style into your own home with the stunning designs from wall decoration you saw? The intricate carving and painting of walls and ceilings by important artisans of earlier centuries, were engraved onto copperplates and published to enable the rest of the world to enjoy them.

Some of the grandest of all wall decor interpreted as antique prints are the "pilaster" frescoes designed by Raphaello di Giovanni Santi d' Urbino (1483-1520) for the pillars of the loggia (arcade) to the Pope's private residence at the Vatican. In the 1770's, two hundred years after Raphael and his assistants painted the walls, doors and ceiling arches at the Vatican, an impressive set of grand copperplate engravings were created. Today these are the finest record of Raphael's decorative genius. Two large plates were engraved for each pilaster by skilled artists and engravers. Each pair of original prints from these plates was joined after printing, for publication. These magnificent engravings are remarkable not only as an important visual record of Raphael's stunning designs, but also for the quality and depth of colour that was done by hand with gouache and watercolour.

So great was the importance placed on the grand images of Raphael's pilasters, that ten years later, pairs of the pilasters were engraved half the size of the first publication. Raphael's designs were transposed this time as exquisite finely detailed copperplate engravings that were published in Paris. Once again, they are appreciated not only for their excellent engraving but also for the brilliance of their hand-colouring.

Wall decoration today is able to be moved from one location to another with comparative ease. Today we are able to enclose the work of art with conservation materials for preservation, and display it within a suitable frame. If you too would like to own your personal piece of  classical antiquity, just visit our gallery at Milton in Brisbane, Australia (Wednesday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm); or visit the Classical Antique Print section in our virtual gallery anytime at http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/

Gazette du Bon Ton Parisian fashion 1913-1925.

The fashions of the eminent designers of Paris were circulated exclusively to the wealthy, in the fashion plates by prominent artists for "Gazette du Bon Ton" (Journal of Good Style). The styles of pochoir (stencils) varied as much as the fashions. Many fashions were shown in a suitable setting, sometimes with a suitable (often amusing) caption - as for example where a "gentleman" outside an open door is looking at his watch and saying to the elegantly attired lady inside "You are never ready" or (illustrated) "Have you been good today?" The elegant simplicity of the fashion "croquis" or sketches is a complete change from the more graphic 'fashion narrative' style pochoir.

"Gazette du Bon Ton" was popular because of these charming pochoir fashion studies. Not only did they represent the latest styles designed by the foremost French designers of the time, they also indicated where and how they should be worn. The 'pochoir' (stencils) were skilfully rendered, and are some of the finest ever done of this labour intensive method of printing. Several stencils were carved from zinc plates, and the different tone built up by successive applications of water colour and gouache, to ensure the colours did not run together during printing.  They can be viewed under Fashion/Design Antique Prints at www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-23-fashionpochoir