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

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

Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 5th ed. (1873)

Items marked 'M' are drawings "by my own Hand" (by Ruskin), P are photographs, E engravings and A by Ruskin's Assistant, Arthur Burgess.

Rudimentary 5 Cover

Catalogue of the Rudimentary series / 9. Birds / Colour & plumage R|200 to R|213. Exercises in colour with shade, on patterns of plumage and scale

  • Ruskin, John - Study of a Kingfisher, with dominant Reference to Colour R|201} Study of Kingfisher, with dominant reference to colour. M.
  • Ruskin, John - Study of a Kingfisher, with dominant Reference to Shade R|202} Study of Kingfisher, with dominant reference to shade, but local colour still kept note of, as an element of shade. M.
  • Ruskin, John - Feather of a Kingfisher's Back, enlarged R|203} Feather of Kingfisher’s back, enlarged. Rough study in colour and shade. M.
  • Ruskin, John - Enlaged Studies of the Feathers of a Kingfisher's Wing and Head, and a Study of a Group of the Wing Feathers, real Size R|204} At the top, feathers of the Kingfisher’s wing and head, enlarged; beneath, a group of the wing feathers, real size. Studies in colour and shade. M.
  • Ruskin, John - Enlarged Drawing of the Extremity of a Kingfisher's Wing Feather R|205} Extremity of a wing feather, much magnified, showing the way its light is laid on the brown ground; and one of the filaments of the feather of the back, R|203 highly magnified. M.
  • The remaining examples are for temporary use, and not catalogued. They are from the last published edition of Curacci’s Natural History, except my study of shells, R|213, which will remain, but otherwise placed.

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