The Abbey Art Collection
Seek Things Above

Providing a window into the art world of Mount Angel Abbey.


Winter Virtual Exhibit: Vision in the Details
Engravings, Etchings, and Aquatints, 1649 – 1965

Image showing a close up view of an engraving printed in black ink on white paper.


Throughout the year, we focus on different pieces from the Abbey art collection. If you are inspired by seeing and learning about the art, please visit again.

Quarterly Virtual Exhibit: January, April, July, October

What are intaglios?

Intaglio is a form of printmaking in which the design is etched or engraved into a metal surface. The ink fills the etching to form the image. There are several methods used for intaglio printmaking. In this online exhibit, we have fine examples of four: engraving, drypoint, etching, and aquatint.

 

Engravings consist of lines incised physically into metal surfaces using various tools, including burins.

 

Drypoint uses a sharp pointed tool to create marks with a raised burr on the edges, pushing the material up much like a plow moving through dirt. Copper is the traditional material used. The burr holds ink in a way that creates a softer, more velvety print.

 

Etching is a chemical process in which lines or areas are incised on the metal plate using wax as a resist to an acid wash.

 

Sample of Aquatint

Aquatint is a chemical process using powdered rosin (resin) to create a tonal effect on metal and often combined with an etching process. It has also been used to print in color, by using multiple plates or making monochrome prints with hand coloring.

What is Chine collé?

Chine collé is a technique used in conjunction with printmaking processes that results in a two-layered paper support: a tissue-thin paper, cut to the size of the printing plate, and a larger, thicker support paper below. Chine is the French word for China, referring to the fact that the thin paper originally used with this technique was imported from China. Collé is the French word for “glued.”

Descriptions by Ariel Valdivia, with the assistance of Br. Ambrose Stewart, OSB, and Fr. Nathan Zodrow, OSB.

 

This engraving of Christ wearing the crown of thorns (Veronica’s Veil) is “composed of a single, unbroken line.

Sudarium of St. Veronica

Image size: 17.125″ x 12.5″ | Engraved by French artist Claude F. Mellan (1598 – 1688).

This engraving of Christ wearing the crown of thorns (Veronica’s Veil) is “composed of a single, unbroken line. It is printed on laid paper which has a fleur-de-lys watermark,” according to Pasquale Iannetti, Inc. Art Gallery, San Francisco, California. Signed and dated in the plate, 1649.

Detail of Sodarium of St. Veronica

 


Engraving of Shakespeare’s “Winter’s Tale,” Act 3, Scene 3. Antigonous has taken the infant Perdita into the forest to abandon her, but he is startled by the bear who will bring about his death.

Winter’s Tale: Act 3, Scene 3

Image size: 12.75″ x 10.25″ | Painted by J. Opie R.A. | Engraved by J. Hall (1739 – 1797), Engraver to his Majesty.

Engraving of Shakespeare’s “Winter’s Tale,” Act 3, Scene 3. Antigonous has taken the infant Perdita into the forest to abandon her, but he is startled by the bear who will bring about his death. Published by Mr. Woodmason, Leadenhall Street, London, 1794.

Closeup detail of “Winter’s Tale,” Act 3, Scene 3

 


Engraving showing the ruins of the Forum of Nerva in Rome.Tempio di Nerva

Image size: 5” x 7” | Made by Italian designer and engraver (dis. e inc.) Achille Parboni (1783 – 1841).

Engraving showing the ruins of the Forum of Nerva in Rome. This work came from the collection of William Bergé (d. 1830) of the family of Charles of Austria. He was the organist at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City. Late 18th – early 19th century.

Closeup detail of Temple di Nerva

 


Hand-painted steel engraving. This print shows a street view of Maria am Gestade (Mary at the Shore), one of the oldest Gothic churches in Vienna, Austria. Passersby go about their daily activities on foot or by horse, with the dominating presence of the church towering above them.Maria am Gestade (Church of Mary at the Shore)

Image size: 8.5″ x 6″ | Engraved by Carl Rauch (1804 – unknown) after a Jakob Meinrad Bayrer drawing.

Hand-painted steel engraving. This print shows a street view of Maria am Gestade (Mary at the Shore), one of the oldest Gothic churches in Vienna, Austria. Passersby go about their daily activities on foot or by horse, with the dominating presence of the church towering above them.

Closeup detail of Maria am Gestade

 


Etching and engraving on Chine collé (see accordion 1) of two elaborately dressed women standing in a richly furnished room making faces at each other as a dog and a cat play next to them.The Rivals

Visible platemark 8.5″ x 6″ | Painted by R. Smirke, R.A. | Engraved by William Finden (1787 – 1852).

Etching and engraving on Chine collé (see accordion) of two elaborately dressed women standing in a richly furnished room making faces at each other as a dog and a cat play next to them. Published for the “Proprietor,” by R. Jennings, London. “The Rivals” was an illustration to page 115 of “The Keepsake,” London, October 1827.

Closeup detail of "The Rivals"

 


Hand-colored steel engraving from 1829 titled, “The Market Cross, at Winchester.” Citizens go about their daily chores in a cityscape dominated by the City Cross monument (also known as the Buttercross monument).The Market Cross, at Winchester

Image size: 9.25″ x 6.75″ | W.H. Bartlett (1809 – 1854) | Engraved by Edward John Roberts (1797 – 1865).

Hand-colored steel engraving from 1829 titled, “The Market Cross, at Winchester.” Citizens go about their daily chores in a cityscape dominated by the City Cross monument (also known as the Buttercross monument). London published by Longman & CS Paternoster Row. Printed by Barnett & Son for Britton’s “Picturesque Antiquities of English Cities,” Dec. 1, 1829.

Closeup detail of The Market Cross, at Winchester

 


Engraving of a cityscape of Sorrento, Italy. Showing a winding path that leads up a steep hill leading to a large ornate building. Entrance to Sorrento

Image size: 17.75″ x 12″ | Drawn by James Duffield Harding. | Engraved by Samuel Fisher (1806 – 1851).

Engraving of a cityscape of Sorrento, Italy. Published by Jennings & Chaplin, 62 Cheapside, London, in Thomas Roscoe’s “The Tourist in Italy,” 1832.

Closeup detail of Entrance to Sorrento

 


Hand-colored etching. In this English cityscape, the Norwich Cathedral spire rises high into the skyline, where birds fly over the buildings. City-folk and animals (horses, dog, chickens, and a rooster) populate the foreground.Gatehouse to the Bishop’s Palace, Norwich

Image size: 9.50″ x 11.75″ | London published by Longman & Co. Paternoster Row.

Hand-colored etching. In this English cityscape, the Norwich Cathedral spire rises high into the skyline, where birds fly over the buildings. City-folk and animals (horses, dog, chickens, and a rooster) populate the foreground. Printed by Barnett & Son, 1830. Published in “Picturesque Antiquities of the English Cities,” (page 83) by John Britton, 1836.

Closeup detail of Gatehouse to the Bishop's Palace Norwich

 


Etching of a bust-length portrait, Madame Herzog looks out at the viewer with a confident gaze and a captivating sense of presence.Portrait de Mme Herzog

Plate marked image: 7.9″ x 6.45″ | Etching made by Achille Isidore Gilbert (1828 – 1899), after a painting by Jean Jacques Henner, which was exhibited in the Salon of 1875.

In this etching of a bust-length portrait, Madame Herzog looks out at the viewer with a confident gaze and a captivating sense of presence. She is positioned against a black background. Printed by Alfred Salmon and published in “L’Art,” 1876.

Closeup detail of Portrait de Mme Herzog

 


Etching of Lady Georgiana Spencer, or Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, at age 6. Shown half-length, a young girl faces the viewer with her hands clasped in front of her, wearing a bonnet and a frilly dress and surrounded by an ovular frame.Lady Georgiana Spencer

Plate marks: 8.9″ x 6.9″ | Etching made by Victor Gustave Lhuillier (1844 – 1889) after a painting by Thomas Gainsborough.

Etching of Lady Georgiana Spencer, or Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, at age 6. Shown half-length, a young girl faces the viewer with her hands clasped in front of her, wearing a bonnet and a frilly dress and surrounded by an ovular frame. Published in “The Portfolio,” London, 1877.

Closeup detail of Lady Georgiana Spencer

 


Drypoint etching shows Lavinia facing left, with a largely profile view, her face turned toward the viewer. She wears a wide-brimmed hat and a white gown.Lavinia Bingham, Countess Spencer

Plate marks: 9″ x 7.4″ | Etching by Léopold Flameng (1831 – 1911), after a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Drypoint etching shows Lavinia facing left, with a largely profile view, her face turned toward the viewer. She wears a wide-brimmed hat and a white gown. This was an illustration in “The Portfolio,” London, published in April 1877.

Closeup detail of Lavinia Bingham, Countess Spencer

 


A beautiful topographical aquatint etching, depicting the Ark of the Great Clock of Rouen. The astronomic clock lays on a Renaissance arch spanning the street Rue du Gros-Horloge, and it is flanked by a Gothic belfry from the 14th century. Signed in pencil by Marcel Augis in the lower right corner, 1917.La Grosse Horloge, Rouen

Approximate image size: 7.5″ x 5.5″ | Made by Marcel Augis.

A beautiful topographical aquatint etching, depicting the Ark of the Great Clock of Rouen. The astronomic clock lays on a Renaissance arch spanning the street Rue du Gros-Horloge, and it is flanked by a Gothic belfry from the 14th century. Marcel Augis (pseudonym of H. Dupont) was a French artist who traveled up and down the front line during the Great War, 1914 – 1918, recording the everyday life of the Allied troops. Signed in pencil by Marcel Augis in the lower right corner, 1917.

Closeup detail of La Grosse Horloge, Rouen

 


An early etching depicting birch and pine trees.Birch and Pine

Image size: 11″ x 7.25″ | Made by Gordon W. Gilkey (1912 – 2000).

An early etching depicting birch and pine trees by noted printmaker Gordon W. Gilkey , Oregon’s premier printmaker. Gilkey headed the Oregon State University’s art department until his retirement in 1977, after which he became curator of prints and drawings at the Portland Art Museum (1978 – 2000). Signed and dated 1935.

Closeup detail of Birch and Pine.

 


An early etching depicting Crater LakeCrater Lake, Oregon

Image Size: 9″ x 11.25″ | Made by Gordon W. Gilkey (1912 – 2000).

An early etching depicting Crater Lake, by noted printmaker Gordon W. Gilkey, Oregon’s premier printmaker. Gilkey headed the Oregon State University’s art department until his retirement in 1977, after which he became curator of prints and drawings at the Portland Art Museum (1978 – 2000). Signed and dated 1936.

Closeup detail of "Crater Lake Oregon"

 


Etching of Battery Place, New York City, depicting a solitary tree with a wall of buildings in the background.Battery Place – A Memory

Image size: 3.5″ x 3.5″ | Made by Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld (1889 – 1962).

Etching of Battery Place, New York City, depicting a solitary tree with a wall of buildings in the background. Signature and chops, dated 1940.

Closeup detail of Battery Place

 


Intaglio print depicting a man wearing a poncho and sombrero who stands in the cloister of the Convent of La Merced in Mexico City.Claustro del Convento de la Merced Ciudad de Mexico

Image size: 6.5″ x 6″ | Signed “Grabart.”

Intaglio print depicting a man wearing a poncho and sombrero who stands in the cloister of the Convent of La Merced in Mexico City. Dated 1942.

Closeup detail of Claustro del Convento de la Merced Ciudad de Mexico Detail

 


Etching depicting a man in typical mid-eastern headdress.Man in Kufiyya and Agal

Image size: 11.25″ x 9″ | Made by Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld (1889 – 1962).

Etching depicting a man in typical mid-eastern headdress (English – coif). Signature and chops, dated 1949.

Closeup detail of Man in Kufiyya and Agal Detail

 


Etching depicting a well-dressed Indonesian woman.Bali Belle

Image size: 7″ x 7.25″ | Made by Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld (1889 – 1962).

Etching depicting a well-dressed Indonesian woman. Signature and chops, dated 1952.

Closeup detail of Bali Belle

 


Etching depicting a solitary tree blowing in a stormy landscape.Solitude, Oregon

Image size: 3.5″ x 3.5″ | Made by Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld (1889 – 1962).

Etching depicting a solitary tree blowing in a stormy landscape. The back of the mat frame bears a signed note from the artist addressed to Abbot Damian Jentges, O.S.B., Abbot V of Mount Angel Abbey, signed and dated, “Christmas, 1958.”

Closeup detail of Solitude, Oregon

 


Intaglio captures a view of the Fontana delle Tartarughe (The Turtle Fountain) in Piazza Mattei, Rome.Fontana delle Tartarughe

Image size: 7” x 5” | Made by G. B. Mirri.

Intaglio captures a view of the Fontana delle Tartarughe (The Turtle Fountain) in Piazza Mattei, Rome. Signature, 29/300, dated 1965.

Closeup detail of Fontana delle Tartarughe

 


Curator’s Note

Thank you for viewing our winter virtual exhibit!

If you know someone who may enjoy our exhibits, please pass the link on to them.

To see more of the Mount Angel Abbey Art Collection, please see the archive links below.

If you have a comment about this exhibit, or would like to add someone or take yourself off our “exhibit alert” email list, please contact us at theartcollection@mtangel.edu.

– Fr. Nathan Zodrow, OSB, Abbey Art Curator