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Elementary Outlines of Ornament
Dyce, William - Enlarge image
Elementary Outlines of Ornament
- Object:
Print
- Place of origin:
London, England (published)
- Date:
1842-1843 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Dyce, William (RA), born 1806 - died 1864 (artist)
Chapman & Hall (publisher) - Materials and Techniques:
Lithograph, ink on paper, mounted on card
- Museum number:
15661:9
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Object Type
This print is a teaching aid and was therefore mounted on card and bound along its edges for easy handling and preservation of the object.
Ownership & Use
This is from a set of teaching diagrams which were known as 'Elementary Outlines of Ornament' or more familiarly 'Dyce's Outlines'. Dyce also published them in The Drawing Book of the Government School of Design in 1842-1843. In his introduction to the latter, he described the basic steps for the early training of students in drawing. Step 1 was to copy 'combinations of right lines and regular curves'; Step 2 was to copy these geometrical diagrams of Greek ornament, such as the acanthus leaf shown here; Steps 3 and 4 were to study their ornamental shapes in two or three dimensions, working from drawings and casts.
The 'outlines' were first used in the School of Design and formed the basis of the elementary drawing lessons promoted by the science and art department in British schools. Although some criticised them for being uninspiring for students, they remained influential until the 1870s.
