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Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E , Case MP, Shelf 222

The Tower of the Tempest

Print
06/09/1991 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Kotev left the Fine Arts Academy of Bulgaria, which he found too bureaucratic, and apprenticed himself for two years to the printmaker Dan Tenev in order to learn his craft in isolation with his master, like a medieval artisan. Kotev's imagery draws on architectural capriccios (imaginary constructions), folklore and religious iconography. The composition of The Tower of the Tempest is like the type of icon called 'biographical', where a central devotional image is surrounded by a narrative border depicting scenes from a saint's life and miracles.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Tower of the Tempest (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Etching on paper
Brief description
Print by Ruslan Kotev entitled 'The Tower of the Tempest'. London, 1991.
Physical description
Central image of fantastic tower in imaginary landscape, surrounded by border of ten smaller images of people, imaginary lanscapes and fantastic forms.
Dimensions
  • Platemark height: 28.9cm
  • Platemark width: 21cm
  • Sheet height: 38.8cm
  • Sheet width: 32cm
Dimensions taken from Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1996
Production typeArtist's proof
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Ruslan Kotev '91' Stamped in Cyrillic with the artists initials (Signature; date; hand written; pencil; Kotev)
  • The Tower of the Tempest (hand written; pencil)
  • E A (hand written; pencil)
  • 9/10 (hand written; pencil)
Credit line
Given by Ekaterina Ovcharova, in gratitude to Michael Kauffman
Subjects depicted
Summary
Kotev left the Fine Arts Academy of Bulgaria, which he found too bureaucratic, and apprenticed himself for two years to the printmaker Dan Tenev in order to learn his craft in isolation with his master, like a medieval artisan. Kotev's imagery draws on architectural capriccios (imaginary constructions), folklore and religious iconography. The composition of The Tower of the Tempest is like the type of icon called 'biographical', where a central devotional image is surrounded by a narrative border depicting scenes from a saint's life and miracles.
Bibliographic references
  • Timmers, Margaret (Ed). Impressions of the Twentieth Century: Fine Art Prints from the V&A Collection. London, V&A Publications, 2001.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1996
Other number
9/10 - Limited Edition Number
Collection
Accession number
E.499-1996

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Record createdDecember 2, 2002
Record URL
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