The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

Browse: 1470 objects

Reference URL

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Recto: A Toucan Verso: A Vulture Anonymous (German)

  • Curator’s description:

    Description

    A plate from an unidentified book about birds, described by Ruskin in the catalogue of the Educational Series as being from Nuremberg and, from its appearance, dating from the late sixteenth or seventeenth century. The three prints in Educational Series no. 170, and the two in Rudimentary Series no. 45, are all taken from the book; this particular illustration is on p. 726 (not 729 as stated by Hewison); the other side of the sheet (p. 725) shows an Indian vulture.

  • Details

    Artist/maker
    Anonymous (German) (Anonymous, German) (block cutter)
    Object type
    print
    Material and technique
    woodcut and letterpress on laid paper
    Dimensions
    recto 88 x 143 mm, verso 102 x 132 mm (blocks); 378 x 241 mm (sheet), 214 x 241 mm as originally folded in mount
    Inscription
    Both sides covered with extensive letterpress, notably a running header 'De Auibus' with the page number '726' (recto) and 'Appendix', '725' (verso). The toucan is labelled, above the paragraph of text which described it, 'TOVCAN SEV PICA BRESSILICA'; The vulture, above the image, 'PA, AVIS INDICA.'

    Verso, bottom, right of centre, the Ruskin School's stamp
    Provenance

    Presented by John Ruskin to the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), 1875; transferred from the Ruskin Drawing School to the Ashmolean Museum, c.1949.

    No. of items
    1
    Accession no.
    WA.RS.RUD.045.b
  • Subject terms allocated by curators:

    Subjects

  • References in which this object is cited include:

    References

    Ruskin, John, The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogue of the Rudimentary Series, in the Arrangement of 1873, ed. Robert Hewison (London: Lion and Unicorn Press, 1984), cat. Rudimentary no. 45, RUD.045.b

    Ruskin, John, Instructions in Practice of Elementary Drawing, Arranged with Reference to the First Series of Examples in the Drawings Schools of the University of Oxford (n.p., [1872]), cat. Rudimentary no. 45

    Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercises Arranged for the Lower Drawing-School (London: Smith, Elder, 1872), cat. Rudimentary no. 45

    Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercise Arranged For the Lower Drawing-School (London: Spottiswoode, 1873), cat. Rudimentary no. 45

    Ruskin, John, ‘Rudimentary Series 1878’, 1878, Oxford, Oxford University Archives, cat. Rudimentary no. 45

    Ruskin, John, ‘The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogues, Notes and Instructions’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 21, cat. Rudimentary no. 45

Location

    • Western Art Print Room

Position in Ruskin’s Collection

Ruskin's Catalogues

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum