Author Archives: mercedes-c

“The Puck of Commentators”

Posted on November 27, 2012 by mercedes-c

One of Douce’s most assiduous correspondents in the 1790s was the Shakespeare scholar George Steevens (1736-1800), of whom the DNB says that “his wit and the associated learning […] earned him the name of the Puck of Commentators”: From his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Collections and Collectors, Costumes, Dance of Death, Everyday life, Literature, Paintings, Prints, Shakespeare | Comments Off on “The Puck of Commentators”

“To the friend of curious and interesting things”

Posted on November 20, 2012 by mercedes-c

Among Douce’s portraits of artists, there is a silhouette of the Swiss engraver, publisher, and art dealer Christian von Mechel (1737-1817): The print is annotated with Mechel’s dedication to Douce: I beg dear Mr Douce, the friend of curious and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Dance of Death, History of printmaking, Portraits, Prints | Comments Off on “To the friend of curious and interesting things”

Douce’s Persian manuscripts

Posted on November 12, 2012 by mercedes-c

Among Douce’s portraits of ‘Learned Foreigners’ there is a plate from the European Magazine depicting the traveller Mirza Abu Talib Khan Isfahani (1752-1806): Douce wrote under the portrait: “This gentleman paid me a visit in Gower Street”. Their meeting must have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Collections and Collectors, Manuscripts, Networks, Paintings, Travel | Comments Off on Douce’s Persian manuscripts

The limping messenger

Posted on November 5, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce’s illustrations from almanacs date from about the last quarter of the eighteenth century to the early 1830s. As is often the case with the part of his collection that remains arranged by subject, the images are taken out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Almanacs, Drawings, Everyday life, Popular prints, Wood-engravings, Woodcuts | Comments Off on The limping messenger

German tales

Posted on October 28, 2012 by mercedes-c

The title-page of the Historische Kalender in the previous post is not the only representation of the story of William Tell in Douce’s collection. A series of plates entitled Wilhelm Tell. Nach Schillers Schauspiel and published by Philipp von Foltz … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Colour, Literature, Lithography, Poetry, Prints, Romances | Comments Off on German tales

“The best engraver on wood in Europe”

Posted on October 15, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce’s interest in German prints was not limited to early woodcuts and engravings; it also encompassed the work of contemporary printmakers. Next to what seems to be a proof for a title-page, Douce wrote ‘Unger of Berlin, The best engraver … Continue reading →

Posted in History of printmaking, Literature, Prints, Wood-engravings, Woodcuts | Comments Off on “The best engraver on wood in Europe”

Douce’s Baked Apple Pudding

Posted on October 5, 2012 by mercedes-c

I have just finished cataloguing Douce’s folders of woodcuts, which contain quite a few illustrations from late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century German almanacs. The autumn months are often represented by apple-picking: In one of his commonplace books, Douce wrote down … Continue reading →

Posted in Almanacs, Everyday life, Prints, Seasons, Uncategorized, Woodcuts, Zodiac | Comments Off on Douce’s Baked Apple Pudding

Spot the prawns

Posted on September 28, 2012 by mercedes-c

Like the print of Moses mentioned in my previous post, this woodcut of the Madonna del Gamberone from Douce’s collection was probably destined to be pinned to the walls of somebody’s home: The original painting is kept in a chapel … Continue reading →

Posted in Colour, Pilgrimage, Popular prints, Prints, Religion, Woodcuts | Comments Off on Spot the prawns

Douce’s Annunciation

Posted on September 11, 2012 by mercedes-c

When told of Douce’s acquisition of a View of Clifton Ferry with a Holiday Party and Bristol Fair by Rolinda Sharples (1793-1838), his friend George Cumberland wrote that they had been ‘sold at an auction to Mr Douce who knows nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquaries, Collections and Collectors, Colour, Everyday life, History of printmaking, Paintings, Prints, Religion, Woodcuts | Comments Off on Douce’s Annunciation

Sea-monsters and spinning sows

Posted on August 25, 2012 by mercedes-c

Douce collected a remarkable number of woodcuts published by the Antwerp-based book-seller Joannes Norbertus Vinck. They are mostly popular prints, often coloured (a bit coarsely) in yellow and red. My favourite is this bespectacled spinning sow: Although the theme of … Continue reading →

Posted in Colour, Festivals, Popular prints, Prints, Woodcuts | Comments Off on Sea-monsters and spinning sows