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| Q |
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What
are antique prints? |
| A |
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Prints
originated around the16th century. Generally, early prints were
woodcuts. During the 1700's and 1800's various engraving
techniques were developed, such as copper engraving and intaglio
engraving. Prints were often hand colored to simulate paintings.
Prints are made in limited
quantities. To a large extent, they were made to satisfy a
curious public appetite for more information and pictures of
birds, flowers, antiquities, geography, travel and other
subjects. This was before the time of the camera and people were
curious about "what things looked like."
A series of prints was very
expensive to produce. The creator often found it necessary to
obtain patronage among the nobility class to support a
production in limited quantities. Over the years many of
these original prints may have been damaged or lost and it is
the remaining prints which have survived that are collected
today. |
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| Q |
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What
are some examples of famous antique prints? |
| A |
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Many
print artists are just as famous as many painters of the same
era. Frequently, print artists were also painters. Original
paintings by these individuals are also very valuable. For
example:
John Audubon - American
painter and artist known for his Birds of America series
depicting American birds in life size colored engraving -
about 2 to 3 feet.
P.J. Redoute - Perhaps,
the most famous of the flower artists. The French government
considers him a national treasure and his prints may not be
exported from France.
Currier and Ives -
Printmakers in America that depicted American life in the
1800's. |
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| Q |
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What
are plate marks and margin? |
| A |
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A
plate mark is the distinctive impression surrounding the image
on an engraved print when the wet paper and plate are
passed through the roller of the press. Important copper plate
prints should have intact plate marks. Unfortunately, some
prints have been trimmed and the plate mark is missing.
The margin is the area outside of
the plate mark or image area. It should be full (at least 1 inch
for most prints) and not needlessly trimmed.
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| Q |
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Explain
reproductions |
| A |
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Reproductions
are copies of original prints that are usually duplicated by
different printing techniques. For authorized reproductions
(often valuable such as the Bien edition of the original Audubon
double folio bird prints) the actual plates may be used and the
attempt is to resemble the original as close as possible.
For inexpensive decoration (once
the copyright has expired) prints may be copied by modern offset
lithographic printing methods. An easy way to spot these
reproductions (no collectible value) of original prints is to
examine the print closely and look for very small colored dots
very similar to dpi in today's office laser printers, but finer.
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| Q |
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What
are the principal techniques of print engraving? |
| A |
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There
are several techniques of print engraving that have been popular
at different times over a several hundred year period. These are
wood engraving, line engraving, mezzotint, stipple engraving,
aquatint, etching, pochoir and lithography. |
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| Q |
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Explain
wood engraving |
| A |
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Wood
engraving or woodcutting is the earliest technique used to
create prints. It was developed sometime in the 1400's, probably
in Germany. In wood engraving, a piece of hardwood is carved by
cutting the outline or by removing the wood surrounding the
relief of the image. Unlike other forms of printmaking, it is
the uncut area that receives the ink. |
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| Q |
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What
is line engraving? |
| A |
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In
line engraving a sharp instrument with a v point called a burin
is used to cut into a smooth copper or steel plate an
"engraved" image. The plate is inked and any excess
ink is wiped off. Under pressure from a press the ink is
transferred to paper. Characteristic of line engraving is the
plate mark on the paper from the impression of the plate under
pressure. |
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| Q |
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What
is the aquatint process? |
| A |
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Aquatint
is an etching process that uses colored resin applied to a line
engraved copper plate to create areas of color. The ground resin
is heated or suspended in solvent. The plate is then etched with
acid. |
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| Q |
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Explain
chromolithography |
| A |
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Chromolithography
was a color printing process developed after 1850. It involves
using separate stones for each color in the print. It is
critical that each stone be precisely positioned for each color.
It is not an engraving process and there are no plate marks. |
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| Q |
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Explain
stipple engraving |
| A |
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Stipple
engraving uses a needle to create tiny individual cuts of
varying depth on a copper plate. The image is made up of
thousands of tiny dots rather than lines (line engraving). The
stipple process was used in both in England and France in the
1800's to produce finely detailed engravings. |
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| Q |
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What
is mezzotint? |
| A |
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Mezzotint
engraving uses a instrument called a rocker. A rocker is a
crescent shape tool with many fine sharp points. The tool is
moved back and forth in a rocking motion and cuts into a copper
plate creating points on the plate. The plate is then burnished
creating smooth areas that do not retain ink .These areas appear
lighter when the paper is passed through the press. |
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| Q |
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How
does etching differ from engraving? |
| A |
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In
etching the lines in the copper plate are chemically etched by
dipping the plate into acid. The plate is first covered with a
resin and the surface is scratched with a needle to create an
image. During dipping the resin resists the acid and the acid
attacks the exposed copper creating a groove in the plate. |
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| Q |
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What
is hand coloring? |
| A |
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Often
engraved plates are hand colored using vegetable inks. The
coloring is expertly applied by technicians usually under the
control of the artist and engraver. |
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| Q |
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Describe
the pochoir process |
| A |
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The
pochoir process emerged in France and became popular in the
early 1900's. It is a stencil process that used a separate
stencil for each color. It is an expensive process and was
preeminent in art nouveau and art deco prints. |
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| Q |
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What
is lithography? |
| A |
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Lithography
is also the modern method of producing prints and is called
stone lithography. The lithographic process was discovered in
the 1797. In lithography the image is drawn with a grease based
pencil onto the limestone. The stone is wetted and the image
resists the moisture. Ink is then applied and paper is pressed
against the stone in a press. |
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| Q |
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What
techniques are used to reproduce prints? |
| A |
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Offset
lithography is a photomechanical process that uses tiny dots of
ink to reproduce a print. It is a commercial process and
does not involve the artist's hand to create the print. Most
reproduction prints are offset lithography. Reproduced prints of
famous original prints usually have little value. |
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| Q |
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What
is meant by a print's condition? |
| A |
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Prints
are old and as such there may be weaknesses or faults that might
appear. There are several areas to be aware of: |
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1 |
Trimming
- Cutting of the print, sometimes affecting the margin
and/or plate mark |
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2 |
Foxing
- Sporadic spotting of the paper due to metallic impurities in
the paper in conjunction with excess moisture. |
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3 |
Staining
- Usually mildew resulting from moisture or damp conditions. |
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4 |
Poor
Coloring - Oxidation or fading of original coloring usually
due to direct exposure to sunlight. |
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5 |
Dirt
- Dirt and grime from mishandling of the print. |
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6 |
Toning
- Toning is the natural aging process of the print. It is
natural and acceptable and may actually enhance the appearance
of the print. |
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7 |
Offsetting
- Offsetting occurs during the engraving process when the ink
from one image is wet and is slightly reproduced on another
print's image. |
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