Not currently on display at the V&A

Print Collection

Print
1927 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

'La Procession Nocturne', wood-engraving by Edward Gordon Craig on Japon paper, 1927, copy 86 of 100.

Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966), son of the architect Edward Godwin and the actress Ellen Terry, began his career as an actor at the Lyceum Theatre, where he appeared with Ellen Terry, and was hailed as one of the country's most promising young actors. He discovered his talent for woodcutting and engraving when introduced to it by the artists James Pryde and William Nicholson. He produced his first wood engraving in 1893, and by 1899 he had engraved nearly 200 blocks, specialising in the new technique of 'white line' wood engravings in which the lines are un-inked and the image emerges from the surrounding ink.

Craig continued wood engraving but after 1900 developed a career as a stage designer and director with revolutionary ideas of staging and lighting. He broke with accepted traditions of stage realism and moved towards minimalist staging with innovative lighting, although many of his projects were abandoned due to his inability to compromise.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePrint Collection (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Wood-engraving on Japon paper
Brief description
'La Procession Nocturne', wood-engraving by Edward Gordon Craig on Japon paper, 1927, copy 86 of 100.
Physical description
Wood-engraving by Edward Gordon Craig on Japon paper. Depicts a scene from 'La Procession Nocturne' by Liszt. In bottom right hand corner is the dedication "To Janet L. in Paris 1946 from EGC". Backed on card.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25.3cm
  • Width: 32.4cm
Credit line
Bequest of Janet Leeper
Object history
Having agreed to produce Hamlet for Constantin Stanislavsky as the Moscow Art Theatre, Craig worked in Russia from 1908 until the opening of the production on 8 January 1912. He spent much of the winter and spring in the city, working on the settings and costumes as well as the direction of the play.
Literary referenceLa Procession Nocturne
Summary
'La Procession Nocturne', wood-engraving by Edward Gordon Craig on Japon paper, 1927, copy 86 of 100.

Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966), son of the architect Edward Godwin and the actress Ellen Terry, began his career as an actor at the Lyceum Theatre, where he appeared with Ellen Terry, and was hailed as one of the country's most promising young actors. He discovered his talent for woodcutting and engraving when introduced to it by the artists James Pryde and William Nicholson. He produced his first wood engraving in 1893, and by 1899 he had engraved nearly 200 blocks, specialising in the new technique of 'white line' wood engravings in which the lines are un-inked and the image emerges from the surrounding ink.

Craig continued wood engraving but after 1900 developed a career as a stage designer and director with revolutionary ideas of staging and lighting. He broke with accepted traditions of stage realism and moved towards minimalist staging with innovative lighting, although many of his projects were abandoned due to his inability to compromise.
Collection
Accession number
S.230-1980

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdApril 13, 2010
Record URL
Download as: JSON