STEEL ENGRAVING – “TWILIGHT IN THE WOOD” from the painting by J. S. Raven, engraved by C. Cousen, printed in 1884.  This engraving is in very good condition.  The engraving measures 10 7/8” x 6”, and is matted to 12” x 16” for easy framing.

     Difficult though it often is to select a particular as an example of an artist’s style, there is no hesitation in the present case.  There are some painters from whom it seems contrary to nature to expect any uniformity; and although these are not the greatest names, yet we find the fathers of the English school working in more than one direction; thus Gainsborough painted portraits and landscapes, while Turner took one series of subjects from his native country and another from Venice:  nor need we multiply examples in proof of this statement.  J. S. Raven was content to keep to one branch of art, and could the good points of his style and work have been selected, and he bad being ignored, he would have climbed higher in his profession.  His perspective and light never fail of correctness.  The fanciful titles of his pictures lead to the assumption that they are compositions in part, if not altogether.  Mr. Raven is a poet-painter, and treats all his subjects, whatever they may be, with a feeling, which partakes of the imaginative, and yet without losing sight of what nature reveals.  This “Twilight in the Wood,” exhibited in the London Royal Academy in 1860, is a very attractive combination of sylvan material: the different objects are brought together with great skill to form a beautiful whole; all are admirably realized, and show the artist to be a close student of nature in some of her most inviting aspects.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Antique prints, engravings, and lithographs are printing processes, which use steel, copper, stone or wood blocks or plates to produce a picture on paper.

Most antique prints and engravings, which are seen on the internet today, are bookplates.  Because they are pages from a book, there are multiple copies in existence.  This does not, however, mean that they are "reproductions" that have been printed recently.  Because they were, at some point, part of books, some have been preserved in excellent condition, while others show signs of age, as yellow spots or darkness on the edge of the page from being handled.

Engravings, and lithographs are high quality pieces of art, as it took a highly trained artist many hours of work to produce one.  Although there may be multiple copies still in existence, the date of the item should be stated, thus giving the buyer an idea of its age.

SHIPPING AND HANDLING - Priority Mail $7.50