STEEL ENGRAVING – “SPORTIVE  INNOCENCE” from the sculpture by G. Burnard, engraved by G. Stodart, published in 1878.  This engraving is in very good condition.  The engraving measures 5 ½” x 4 7/8”, and is matted to 11” x 14” for easy framing.

   Mr. Burnard’s “Sportive Innocence,” exhibited at the British Royal Academy in 1864, is a group in marble.  It shows that the sculptor possesses considerable humor, united with the artistic qualifications.  There is something playful in the manner in which the chubby boy, a kind of infant Hercules, poses his plaything, the rabbit, – just as a mother sets her infant on her knee.  Both the child and the animal are carefully modeled; but enormous mass of hair on the head of the child, thrown back as it is by his action, suggests the idea that its weight would endanger equilibrium.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Antique prints, etchings, 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.

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