Beschreibung:

JOHN BUCKLAND WRIGHT (1897-1954) ORIGINAL COPPER ENGRAVING PLATES FOR `PERVIGILIUM VENERIS: THE VIGIL OF VENUS` An interesting group of twelve steel-faced copper plates, including two small triangular tail pieces (not faced), for the Golden Cockerel Press edition, 1939 7.5 x 12.7cm. or smaller * Correspondence from the artist to his wife Mary in August 1939 shows that Wright was well underway with this commission by that time. His designs were inspired by Roman sarcophagi at the Louvre and the plates gave him considerable satisfaction: "This is what I call a perfect print," he wrote. "The tone is sufficient and not too even. The lines have their full value and have slight tone or aureal round them, which will go on improving with age. It is of course greatly helped by the type of paper used, the ink, and the slight `burr` left on the lines." The subtlety of the technique, blending line engraving with the French method of finely-grained sugar-lift aquatint, created images of elegance, clear but detailed narrative and understated erotic charge. It was unfortunate for the artist that the publication of Wright's book coincided with the outbreak of war in September 1939 and suppressed the acclaim and recognition that the volume deserved. See www.otago.ac.nz/library/exhibitions/jbw/cabinet09.html Each plate had been wrapped in tissue and brown paper with a note on each wrapper to indicate that the plates were for pp.2, 14-17 and 19-25.