2008 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The invention of printing allowed books and images to become household objects. Both could be reproduced quickly and in large numbers, whereas before this revolutionary technology they could only be drawn, painted or written by hand.
The use of woodblocks to print text had been known in the East since the 8th century. In Europe the technique was first applied to textiles, but shortly after 1400 it was adopted also for images.
Soon, texts too were reproduced by various methods of printing. The final breakthrough came in the 1450s, when Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz produced a Bible using a new method based on moveable type, with individual metal letters and characters.
The artist Anne Desmet was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum to produce a facsimile woodblock, copied from a French sixteenth century sheet of uncut playing cards in the collection by Gilles Savoure and make prints from the block. The whole process was filmed and can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.
The use of woodblocks to print text had been known in the East since the 8th century. In Europe the technique was first applied to textiles, but shortly after 1400 it was adopted also for images.
Soon, texts too were reproduced by various methods of printing. The final breakthrough came in the 1450s, when Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz produced a Bible using a new method based on moveable type, with individual metal letters and characters.
The artist Anne Desmet was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum to produce a facsimile woodblock, copied from a French sixteenth century sheet of uncut playing cards in the collection by Gilles Savoure and make prints from the block. The whole process was filmed and can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | drawing on laid paper |
| Brief description | Transfer drawing with red chalk on the reverse for a facsimile woodblock of an uncut sheet of 16th century playing cards by Gilles Savouré in the V&A collection, made by Anne Desmet, 2008 |
| Physical description | Drawing in red chalk on laid paper |
| Dimensions |
|
| Object history | In 2006 the printmaker Anne Desmet was commissioned by the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Gallery team to produce a facsimile woodblock copied from a French sixteenth century sheet of uncut playing cards by Gilles Savouré (E.988-1920) held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and make prints from the block. The whole process was filmed for a 'How Was it Made' video which can now be seen in the V&A Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. |
| Summary | The invention of printing allowed books and images to become household objects. Both could be reproduced quickly and in large numbers, whereas before this revolutionary technology they could only be drawn, painted or written by hand. The use of woodblocks to print text had been known in the East since the 8th century. In Europe the technique was first applied to textiles, but shortly after 1400 it was adopted also for images. Soon, texts too were reproduced by various methods of printing. The final breakthrough came in the 1450s, when Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz produced a Bible using a new method based on moveable type, with individual metal letters and characters. The artist Anne Desmet was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum to produce a facsimile woodblock, copied from a French sixteenth century sheet of uncut playing cards in the collection by Gilles Savoure and make prints from the block. The whole process was filmed and can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.178:2-2010 |
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
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 1, 2011 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
