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

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

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Recto: A Man in Armour with the Arms of Fugger. Verso: A Man in Armour with the Arms of Hörlin

  • Curator’s description:

    Description

    The precise arrangement of the objects in this cabinet is difficult to determine, as Ruskin has left no record beyond the statement that these are 'Portions of the woodcuts by Hans Burgkmair, representing the Triumph of Maximilian I.' However - as noted by Hewison in his edition of the Rudimentary catalogues - only seven of the prints in this cabinet are actually from the "Triumph". The other prints are from Mair's "Bericht und antzeigen, der loblichen Statt Augspurg"; numbering fourteen in total, they neatly occupy seven of the frames in the cabinet if arranged in pairs, leaving six free to hold the prints from the 'Triumph'. Assuming that the arrangement of the prints as bound into volumes in the Ashmolean accurately reflects their actual arrangement in the frames, then nos. 26 to 28 and 36 to 38 were from the "Triumph", and 29 to 35 were from the "Bericht". However, this arrangement is at odds with Hewison's: he omitted the current WA.RS.RUD.026-028, and distributed the figures from the "Bericht" across ten frames, sometimes singly and sometimes with two items per frame, following the sequence of the illustrations in the original book, which differs from the arrangement in the Ashmolean volumes. The latter is followed in this catalogue, as more likely to be closer to Ruskin's arrangement.

    Although Hewison cites a 1510 edition of the "Bericht", there is a reference on p. 55 (i.e. the verso of Rudimentary Series 35 a) to events of 1538. The edition from which these prints are taken is therefore presumably that of 1550, although this is described as 'folio' in the catalogues of the British Library and Bodleian, whereas these sheets seem more likely to be described as quarto.

  • Details

    Object type
    print
    Material and technique
    woodcut on laid paper
    Dimensions
    recto 215 x 147 mm, verso 215 x 148 mm (blocks); 293 x 192 mm (sheet)
    Inscription
    Recto:
    top left, printed: 82
    top centre, printed: Fugger.
    just below, printed: 19
    bottom left, in graphite: 5

    Verso:
    top right, printed: 81
    top centre, printed: Hörlin.
    just below, printed: 18
    bottom left, the Ruskin School's stamp
    just to the right, in graphite (recent): Rud 29B
    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.029.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. 26.d, RUD.026.d

    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. 27-038

    Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercises Arranged for the Lower Drawing-School (London: Smith, Elder, 1872), cat. Rudimentary no. 26-38

    Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercise Arranged For the Lower Drawing-School (London: Spottiswoode, 1873), cat. Rudimentary no. 26-38

    Ruskin, John, ‘Rudimentary Series 1878’, 1878, Oxford, Oxford University Archives, cat. Rudimentary no. 27-041

    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. 26-38

Location

    • Western Art Print Room

Position in Ruskin’s Collection

Ruskin's Catalogues

  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 3rd ed. (1872)

    Portions of the Woodcuts by Hans Burgmair , representing the Triumph of Maximilian I . These woodcuts, and the smaller ones in the First Cabinet, are entirely perfect examples of execution with the pure black line, and I have given them in this quantity, that the students may always find one or other to work from. Only small pieces of them are to be attempted, generally at the student's choice. He should begin with any of the shields in R|15 to R|21, and advance to the Burgmair s; but one or other of the single figures, R|26 and R|27, is to be completely drawn eventually by every member of my class. They are to be photographed, in order that every student may have his own, to work from at home.
  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series 4th ed. (1872)

    Portions of the Woodcuts by Hans Burgkmair , representing the Triumph of Maximilian I . These woodcuts, and the smaller ones in the First Cabinet, are entirely perfect examples of execution with the pure black line, and I have given them in this quantity, that the students may always find one or other to work from. Only small pieces of them are to be attempted, generally at the student's choice. He should begin with any of the shields in R|15 to R|21, and advance to the Burgkmair s; but one or other of the single figures, R|26 and R|27, is to be completely drawn eventually by every member of my class. They are to be photographed, in order that every student may have his own, to work from at home.
  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 5th ed. (1873)

    Portions of the Woodcuts by Hans Burgkmair , representing the Triumph of Maximilian I . These woodcuts, and the smaller ones in the First Cabinet, are entirely perfect examples of execution with the pure black line, and I have given them in this quantity, that the students may always find one or other to work from. Only small pieces of them are to be attempted, generally at the student's choice. He should begin with any of the shields in R|15 to R|21, and advance to the Burgkmair s; but one or other of the single figures, R|26 and R|27, is to be completely drawn eventually by every member of my class. They are to be photographed, in order that every student may have his own, to work from at home.
  • Ruskin's revision to the Rudimentary series (1878)

    27-41.

    To be used at Mr. Macdonald’s pleasure.

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