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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An Owl 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. 559 (not 560 as stated by Hewison).

  • Details

    Artist/maker
    Anonymous (German) (Anonymous, German) (block cutter)
    Object type
    print
    Material and technique
    woodcut and letterpress on laid paper
    Dimensions
    recto 81 x 33 mm (block); 377 x 237 mm (sheet), 191 x 237 mm as originally folded in mount
    Inscription
    Both sides covered with extensive letterpress, notably a running header 'De Auibus' with the page numbers '559' (recto) and '560' (verso); the image is labelled, above, 'DE NOCTVA'

    Recto, bottom left, in graphite: R45a

    Verso, top right, 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.a
  • 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.a

    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

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