Art by Medium: Mezzotint

Lynd Ward, 'Judges' from the series 'Moriae Encomium (In Praise of Folly),' mezzotint, 1943, no edition, proofs only. Signed, dated, and titled in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 1/4 to 2 inches) in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 7 13/16 x 4 7/8 inches (198 x 124 mm); sheet size 10 3/4 x 8 1/8 inches (273 x 206 mm). Created by the artist for 'Erasmus's Moriae Encomium,' or 'In Praise of Folly,' published by the Limited Editions Club, 1943. A rare, signed, proof impression apart from the Limited Editions Club publication. ABOUT THE ARTIST Lynd Ward is acknowledged as one of America’s foremost wood engravers and book illustrators of the first half of the twentieth century. His innovative use of narrative printmaking as a stand-alone storytelling vehicle was uniquely successful in reaching a broad audience. The powerful psychological intensity of his work, celebrated for its dynamic design, technical precision, and compelling dramatic content, finds resonance in the literature of Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne. Like these classic American writers, Ward was concerned with the themes of man’s inner struggles and the role of the subconscious in determining his destiny. An artist of social conscience during the Great Depression and World War II, he infused his graphic images with his unique brand of social realism, deftly portraying the problems that challenged the ideals of American society. The son of a Methodist preacher, Lynd Ward, moved from Chicago to Massachusetts at an early age. He graduated from the Teachers College of Columbia University, New York, in 1926, where he studied illustration and graphic arts. He married May Yonge McNeer in 1936 and left for Europe for their honeymoon in Eastern Europe. After four months, they settled in Leipzig, where Ward studied at the National Academy of Graphic Arts and Bookmaking. Inspired by Belgian expressionist artist Frans Masereel's graphic novel ‘The Sun,’ and another graphic novel by the German artist Otto Nückel, ‘Destiny,’ he determined to create his own "wordless" novel. Upon his return to America, Ward completed his first book, ‘God's Man: A Novel in Woodcuts,’ published in 1929. ‘Gods’ Man’ was a great success for its author and publisher and was reprinted four times in 1930, including a British edition. This book and several which followed it, ‘Madman’s Drum,’ 1930, ‘Wild Pilgrimage,’ 1932, ‘Prelude to a Million Years,’ 1933, ‘Song Without Words,' 1936, ‘Vertigo,’ 1937; and ‘Last Unfinished Wordless Novel’ (created in the 1960s and published in 2001) were comprised solely of Ward's wood engravings. Ward designed each graphic image to occupy an entire page, the sequence of which conveys the story's narrative. In 1937, Ward was named Director of the Graphic Arts Division of the Federal Art Project, a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In the following years, Ward went on to illustrate more than one hundred books (some of which he wrote), including classics for the Limited Editions Club Goethe’s ‘Faust,’ Faulkner’s ‘A Green Bough,’ and Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ and several children’s books. He also produced single-subject wood engravings, paintings, and drawings. His print ‘Sanctuary,’ 1939, was shown at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and ‘Clouded Over,’ 1948, received the 1948 Library of Congress Award and was included in ‘American Prize Prints of the 20th Century’ by Albert Reese. He received the National Academy of Design Print Award (1949), the New York Times Best Illustrated Award (1973), and the Regina Award (Catholic Library Association, 1975). ‘The Biggest Bear,’ a children’s book with illustrations by Ward, was the recipient of the esteemed 1952 Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association. An Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Ward was a member and board member of the National Academy of Design and the Artists’ League of America. He served several terms as president of the Society of American Graphic Artists and was a member of the American Artists Congress and the Society of Illustrators. Ward exhibited at the American Artists Congress; the National Academy of Design; the John Herron Art Institute; and the Library of Congress. He had a one-person show at Associated American Artists, NY, on the publication of his monograph 'Storyteller Without Words,' 1974; AAA mounted a memorial exhibition in 1986. The May 1976 issue of 'Bibliognost,' a book collector’s publication, was dedicated to Ward. ‘Lynd Ward, His Bookplate Designs,’ an article by Dan Burne Jones, was published in the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers Yearbook, 1981/82. In 2001, sixteen years after his death, Rutgers University Libraries published ’Lynd Ward’s Last Unfinished Wordless Novel.’ The blocks were intended to be part of a novel in woodcuts, the first since Vertigo, but Ward did not live to complete the project. Master printer and book designer Barbara Henry collated and printed the twenty-six finished blocks out of the forty-four initially planned for the still unnamed narrative. In 2010 the Library of America honored Ward’s achievements with the meticulous production of a collection of Ward’s woodcut novels—the first time the Library had gone wordless. The publication replicated his original editions with a single full-size image printed on the right page of each double-page spread. In his introduction to the books, renowned cartoonist/illustrator Art...

"The Meeting of Her Majesty's Stag Hounds on Ascot Heath" is a large colorful mezzotint engraving of an extensive British hunting scene. It was created by Sir Francis Grant...

James Seymour (1702-1752) 'Star', A running horse belonging to His Grace the Duke of Bridgewater Mezzotint by R. Houston Image size 10 x 14 in Framed size 13 x 17 in James Seymour w...

In "Destinations", Frederick Mershimer creates an image of taxis rushing by the Fuller Building, better known as Flatiron Building. The building is only six feet wide at its rounded...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "a. Phaseolus Americanus purgans, b. Phaseolus Brasilianus". It is plate 8...

Souto named this image Bambalina (backstage). It is an exclusive publication of Stone and Press Gallery. Francisco Souto was born in Venezuela. He received a BFA from Herron Schoo...

"And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was a plucked off olive leaf: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth." Mario Avati, a master ...

In Anne Dykmans' "Fugue", sailing vessels race across the seas. This impression is #65 of 75 and is signed, titled and dated by the artist. Anne Dykmans (Belgian, b. 1952) Anne Dykma...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Bardana Major Folio Non Serrato, Napoliere, B. Bdellifera Arbor, de Qu...

James Seymour (1702-1752) 'Ironsides' a famous Hunter belonging to the Earl of Halifax Mezzotint by R. Houston Image size 9 1/4 x 13 1/4 in Framed size 12 x 16 in James Seymour was ...

Werger's mezzotint prints are masterful at capturing a mood, and suggesting a story for the viewer to complete. Anonymous pedestrians passing on a snowy walk through Central Park. Um...

(after) JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER (1775 - 1851) THE DELUGE, 1828. Mezzotint, Engraved by I. P. Quilly after a painting by J. M.W. Turner R.A.. Image ...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Lathyrus Major Peremis Richern B. Lathyrus Narbonensis Flore Albescen...

This striking hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving is entitled Malus domestica, Pomier, Apfelbaunt (Apple)". It is plate 704 in Johann Weinmann's monumental publicatio...

Medium: Mezzotint Image size: 7 x 5 inches Sheet size is 11 x 15 inches Edition of 50 This print is from the Blood Bone Elegy, a suite of eighteen color mezzotints depicting the out...

Title: Kirkuk Medium: Mezzotint Image Size: 12" x 10" Edition Size: 20 ABSENCE OF PASSION / PORTRAITS OF IRAQ Kirkuk is from The Absence of Passion suite of fifteen mezzotint portra...

Medium: mezzotin Year: 2022 Edition: 50 Image Size: 17.75 x 23.5 inches Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist Dramatic image of the streets of New York from the air. ....

In "Late Night", Frederick Mershimer created a winter scene where Berkeley Place meets Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn's Park Slope. This image, the seventh in t...

épreuve d'artiste 2/5

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "Castanea Equina, Chateignier amaire (Horse Chestnut)". It is plate 342 in...

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a New Orleans landmark at 941 Bourbon St. Like most New Orleans legends, history of Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a gumbo of tru...

James Seymour (1702-1752) Leading Out a Hunter Mezzotint by Thomas Burford Image size 10 x 14 in Framed size 13 x 17 in James Seymour was an English artist renowned for his equestri...

Hand signed. Edition of 60 pieces. Mezzotint and Carborundum print. Diffused foxing.

Werger's mezzotint prints are masterful at capturing a mood, and suggesting a story for the viewer to complete. His seascapes and ocean prints are from the California coastline. Sign...

Lynd Ward, 'Priests' from the series 'Moriae Encomium (The Praise of Folly)', mezzotint, 1943, no edition, proofs only. Signed in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 1/4 to 2 inches) in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Scarce. Image size 7 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches (197 x 121 mm); sheet size 10 11/16 x 8 1/16 inches (271 x 204 mm). Created by the artist for 'Erasmus's Moriae Encomium,' or 'In Praise of Folly,' published by the Limited Editions Club, 1943. A rare, signed, proof impression apart from the Limited Editions Club publication. ABOUT THE ARTIST Lynd Ward is acknowledged as one of America’s foremost wood engravers and book illustrators of the first half of the twentieth century. His innovative use of narrative printmaking as a stand-alone storytelling vehicle was uniquely successful in reaching a broad audience. The powerful psychological intensity of his work, celebrated for its dynamic design, technical precision, and compelling dramatic content, finds resonance in the literature of Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne. Like these classic American writers, Ward was concerned with the themes of man’s inner struggles and the role of the subconscious in determining his destiny. An artist of social conscience during the Great Depression and World War II, he infused his graphic images with his unique brand of social realism, deftly portraying the problems that challenged the ideals of American society. The son of a Methodist preacher, Lynd Ward, moved from Chicago to Massachusetts at an early age. He graduated from the Teachers College of Columbia University, New York, in 1926, where he studied illustration and graphic arts. He married May Yonge McNeer in 1936 and left for Europe for their honeymoon in Eastern Europe. After four months, they settled in Leipzig, where Ward studied at the National Academy of Graphic Arts and Bookmaking. Inspired by Belgian expressionist artist Frans Masereel's graphic novel ‘The Sun,’ and another graphic novel by the German artist Otto Nückel, ‘Destiny,’ he determined to create his own "wordless" novel. Upon his return to America, Ward completed his first book, ‘God's Man: A Novel in Woodcuts,’ published in 1929. ‘Gods’ Man’ was a great success for its author and publisher and was reprinted four times in 1930, including a British edition. This book and several which followed it, ‘Madman’s Drum,’ 1930, ‘Wild Pilgrimage,’ 1932, ‘Prelude to a Million Years,’ 1933, ‘Song Without Words,' 1936, ‘Vertigo,’ 1937; and ‘Last Unfinished Wordless Novel’ (created in the 1960s and published in 2001) were comprised solely of Ward's wood engravings. Ward designed each graphic image to occupy an entire page, the sequence of which conveys the story's narrative. In 1937, Ward was named Director of the Graphic Arts Division of the Federal Art Project, a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In the following years, Ward went on to illustrate more than one hundred books (some of which he wrote), including classics for the Limited Editions Club Goethe’s ‘Faust,’ Faulkner’s ‘A Green Bough,’ and Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ and several children’s books. He also produced single-subject wood engravings, paintings, and drawings. His print ‘Sanctuary,’ 1939, was shown at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and ‘Clouded Over,’ 1948, received the 1948 Library of Congress Award and was included in ‘American Prize Prints of the 20th Century’ by Albert Reese. He received the National Academy of Design Print Award (1949), the New York Times Best Illustrated Award (1973), and the Regina Award (Catholic Library Association, 1975). ‘The Biggest Bear,’ a children’s book with illustrations by Ward, was the recipient of the esteemed 1952 Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association. An Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Ward was a member and board member of the National Academy of Design and the Artists’ League of America. He served several terms as president of the Society of American Graphic Artists and was a member of the American Artists Congress and the Society of Illustrators. Ward exhibited at the American Artists Congress; the National Academy of Design; the John Herron Art Institute; and the Library of Congress. He had a one-person show at Associated American Artists, NY, on the publication of his monograph 'Storyteller Without Words,' 1974; AAA mounted a memorial exhibition in 1986. The May 1976 issue of 'Bibliognost,' a book collector’s publication, was dedicated to Ward. ‘Lynd Ward, His Bookplate Designs,’ an article by Dan Burne Jones, was published in the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers Yearbook, 1981/82. In 2001, sixteen years after his death, Rutgers University Libraries published ’Lynd Ward’s Last Unfinished Wordless Novel.’ The blocks were intended to be part of a novel in woodcuts, the first since Vertigo, but Ward did not live to complete the project. Master printer and book designer Barbara Henry collated and printed the twenty-six finished blocks out of the forty-four initially planned for the still unnamed narrative. In 2010 the Library of America honored Ward’s achievements with the meticulous production of a collection of Ward’s woodcut novels—the first time the Library had gone wordless. The publication replicated his original editions with a single full-size image printed on the right page of each double-page spread. In his introduction to the books, renowned cartoonist/illustrator Art...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Convolvulus Major Folio Subrotundo Purpureg Albo, B. Convolvulus Major...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "a. Pisum Minus sine Putamine, b. Pisa Indicum". It is plate 819 in Weinma...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Esula seu Tithyinalus Africanus SpinosusCera Effigie, B. Esula seu Ti...

Mezzotint, from the edition of 100. Signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Art Werger’s prints show a keen observation of quiet and normally unnoticed moments. Pedestrians passi...

From a wonderful selection of hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: "Phytanthoza Iconographia", c1739, presented in a hand- made parcel-gilt, ebonised and decalcomania frame. So...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Geniculata Wieder Kraief, B. Genipa seu Ganipaba". It is plate 531 in...

Sepia mezzotint by Richard Earlom (1743-1822) After Claude Gellee ('Claude Lorrain') (1600-82). From 'Liber Veritatis; or A Collection of Prints after the original designs of Claude le Lorrain...

This is a hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741), entitled "A. Alcea Folio Lacinato, B. Alcea Vesicaria, C. Alchimilla minima, D. ...

Book 1, line 192: Satan on the Burning Lake Mezzotint, 1825 Engraved signature below the image (see photo) From John Milton's "Paradise Lost" Published by Septimus Prowett Printed by...

Artist: Mario Avati, French (1921 - 2009) Title: Elephant Equilibriste Year: 1969 Medium: Mezzotint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 35/50 Image Size: 17.5 x 24 inches Size: 2...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of a flowering Red Narcissus Lily plant, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Narcissus In...

The etching "The Game of Transformation. Butterflies" is an artist's play with meanings and associations. In this work, modern girls are presented in the form of glamorous fluttering...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "Stramonia Aegyptiaca foetida semine pallido flore albo duplici triplicive...

Medium: Mezzotint Year: 2024 Edition: 25 Image Size: 11.75 x 17.5 inches Scene of jugglers in dining room juggling plates in this comical print from Werger's Circus series of prints...

Anne Dykmans, Belgian (1952 - ) - Wandelaars II, Year: 2002, Medium: Mezzotint, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 50, Image Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches, Frame Siz...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "a. Caryophyllus Arborescens, b. Caryophyllus Barbatus". It is plate 327 i...

Signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 50. Most of his mezzotints are tiny, and his subjects are the simplest of everyday objects: an egg, seashell, carrot, potatoes. Simil...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "Pisum Mapis flore pupureo". It is plate 818 in Weinmann's monumental publ...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of a flowering Betel Nut Palm plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Fagus Fau Buch,...

Interior with a red shawl conveys a quite different mood and feeling: one of calm, and suspension of time. Here the suggestion is that the woman is waiting ...

"His Timmer Staff" is an image of herding pigs by William Strang. It is a fine impression in fine condition in an edition of 20 signed and inscribed by the artist. Binyon 119 One...

This view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges is looking down "Plymouth Street" to the intersection of Jay Street. It is #35 in the catalogue raisonne by Retif & Salzer and is in the permanent collection of the Museum of City of New York...

In "Still Night", Frederick Mershimer depicts a row of brownstone houses on Seventh Avenue near Flatbush Avenue between Park and Stirling Places. Mershimer remembers that as he was ...

This is an original antique hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of flowering Chrysanthemum matricaria plants. It is entitled "A. Chrysanthemum Matricarice Folus Flore...

Price is for the set of 12 framed engravings. Hand-coloured mezzotint engravings from: ""Phytanthoza Iconographia"", c1739, presented in hand-made pa...

Medium: Mezzotint Year: 2023 Edition: 50 Image Size: 11.75 x 17.5 inches Pedestrians sheltering from the rain under umbrellas in an urban downtown setting, Art Werger’s prints show...

Rencontres, or chance encounter, is a seemingly random assemblage of seashells, pine cones, and a children's spinning top. From a signed and numbered edition of 35, some of which wer...

An overflow of traffic in front of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Cathedral on Park Avenue between 50th and 51st

This striking hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving is entitled "Gnaphalium, Gossypium (Cotton Plant)". It is plate 551 in Johann Weinmann's monumental publication "Phy...

Medium: mezzotint Year: 2018 Edition: 30 Image Size: 19 x 19 inches Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist Montage of scenes of the street below as seen from the artist...

Clifford James (active 1900-1930) After James Abbott NcNeill Whistler (1834-1903) Symphony in White No. 2, The Little White Girl Color mezzotint, 1922 Signed in pencil by James (see ...

This hand-colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "Cereus Erectus Altissimo Surinamensis (Cereus Cactus Plant)". It is plate...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of flowering Red Sweet Peas which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Lathyrus Flore Majore Pur...

This is an original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving of banana plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Banana 2. Mauze, Baradis-feigen", p...

Rio Osmarin shows boats on the canal Rio de S. Provolo o de l'Osmarin in Venice) It was created in 2006 and this impression is #31 of 75 It is signed, titled, numbered and dated by...