The Revival of Chiaroscuro Woodcuts by John Skippe (1781)

This volume represents a historically significant effort to revive a nearly forgotten Renaissance art form in 18th-century England.

The Revival of Chiaroscuro Woodcuts

The prints contained in this folio are chiaroscuro woodcuts, a multi-block colour printing technique originally invented in the early 16th century by Italian masters like Ugo da Carpi. By the late 1700s, the technique had largely fallen out of practice. The creator of this collection, John Skippe (latinized as Johannes Skippe), was an English gentleman, affluent traveler, and amateur artist who dedicated himself to reviving the medium.

The Latin Dedication

The title page features an explicit declaration of Skippe's artistic mission. The Latin text translates to:

"To his friends and to every lover of the more elegant arts, John Skippe dedicates these remaining plates, cut in wood during times of playful leisure, while he attempted to restore an art that was almost lost. 1781."

Translating Old Masters to Print

Skippe traveled extensively throughout Italy during the 1770s, amassing a world-class collection of original Renaissance drawings. Upon returning to England, he carved these multi-toned woodblocks himself to replicate the fluid ink washes and chalk highlights of masters like Raphael (indicated by the monogram "RV inv." for Raphael Urbinas invenit on the column capitals), Parmigianino, and Rubens.

Provenance and Collectability

Because Skippe was a wealthy amateur, he did not print these for commercial mass production. Instead, he distributed a very limited number of sets privately to friends, fellow connoisseurs, and patrons of the arts.

There are differences in the number of woodcuts in other volumes on the internet. This copy has 38 woodcuts and is considered complete as is.

The prominent bookplate belongs to William Baker, indicating this specific copy belonged to a contemporary collector of high-standing English heritage.

Original 18th century binding; restored; new spine label; gutter of end papers repaired; new acid free Japanese tissue guards for all woodcuts; some spotting throughout; generally the pages are clean; some offsetting to opposite page of each plate.

350mm x 580mm x 10mm

R275,000