Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 122c

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

Woodblock
1881 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
The design for a wood engraving was first drawn on the block of boxwood by the artist. The block would then be passed to a wood engraver to engrave. Several blocks would have been screwed together to create a large block such as this one.

People
The painter and designer Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) produced most of his periodical and book illustration work in the early part of his career. He later became Slade Professor at University College (1871-1875), Director of Art at South Kensington (1875-1881), President of the Royal Academy (1896-1918) and Director of the National Gallery (1894-1906), all in London. In 1896 he looked back at his early career as 'delightful times', writing to the wood engraving firm of the Dalziel Brothers (active 1839-1905), 'There is no part of my life or of the practice of my art which I look back with greater pleasure'. He contributed a total of 10 designs (7 used), including this one, for the Bible Gallery. His letters to the Dalziel Brothers reveal a clear technical understanding of wood engraving and a great appreciation of the skill of the Dalziels' work.

Materials
The survival of this drawing on a wood block reflects a key technical development in wood engraving: the use of photography to transfer drawings onto the wood blocks. The Dalziels describe how they spent much time experimenting with this technique and were finally successful in the early part of their work on the Bible Gallery. 'By this means nearly all the exquisite drawings in black and white made by Leighton (Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton [1830-1896]), Poynter, Houghton (Arthur Boyd Houghton [1836-1875]), and many others of the artists who worked in association with us, have been preserved, and now adorn some of the public permanent galleries'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMoses and Aaron before Pharaoh (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Ink and Chinese white on composite boxwood block
Brief description
Moses and Aaron before Pharoah, uncut woodblock, 1881, Wood engraved in London by the Dalziel Brothers after a drawing by Sir Edward John Poynter
Physical description
Uncut woodblock
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.1cm
  • Width: 17.2cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 08/07/1999 by LH
Marks and inscriptions
'18EBJ63' (Signed in reverse with monogram and date)
Gallery label
British Galleries: WOODCUT BLOCK AND ILLUSTRATION from the Bible Gallery
From the 1850s, Dalziel & Co. were outstanding suppliers of wood-engraved images to the publishing industry. The Dalziel brothers promoted wood engraving by hand as a reproductive technique with skilled craftsmen engraving drawings by other, more famous, artists. From the 1860s, drawings by celebrated painters were commissioned for a 'coffee-table' book recounting the story of the Bible in pictures. It was published in October 1880 at £5.5s (£5.25p) a copy, but the Dalziels described the venture as 'a dead failure' commercially.(27/03/2003)
Object history
Wood engraved in London by the Dalziel Brothers (active 1840-1905) after a drawing by Sir Edward John Poynter (born in Paris, 1836, died in London, 1919). Purchased from the Dalziel Brothers.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
The design for a wood engraving was first drawn on the block of boxwood by the artist. The block would then be passed to a wood engraver to engrave. Several blocks would have been screwed together to create a large block such as this one.

People
The painter and designer Sir Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) produced most of his periodical and book illustration work in the early part of his career. He later became Slade Professor at University College (1871-1875), Director of Art at South Kensington (1875-1881), President of the Royal Academy (1896-1918) and Director of the National Gallery (1894-1906), all in London. In 1896 he looked back at his early career as 'delightful times', writing to the wood engraving firm of the Dalziel Brothers (active 1839-1905), 'There is no part of my life or of the practice of my art which I look back with greater pleasure'. He contributed a total of 10 designs (7 used), including this one, for the Bible Gallery. His letters to the Dalziel Brothers reveal a clear technical understanding of wood engraving and a great appreciation of the skill of the Dalziels' work.

Materials
The survival of this drawing on a wood block reflects a key technical development in wood engraving: the use of photography to transfer drawings onto the wood blocks. The Dalziels describe how they spent much time experimenting with this technique and were finally successful in the early part of their work on the Bible Gallery. 'By this means nearly all the exquisite drawings in black and white made by Leighton (Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton [1830-1896]), Poynter, Houghton (Arthur Boyd Houghton [1836-1875]), and many others of the artists who worked in association with us, have been preserved, and now adorn some of the public permanent galleries'.
Bibliographic reference
Owens, Susan, The Art of Drawing British Masters And Methods Since 1600, V&A Publishing, London, 2013, p. 126, fig. 101
Collection
Accession number
1070-1884

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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