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Print

1938 (published)
Artist/Maker
Nonesuch Press (publisher)
Ravilious, Eric (artist)
Place of origin
UK (printed and published)

Eric Ravilious: Proof of decoration to ‘The Writings of Gilbert White of Selborne’ including ‘The Natural History of Selborne’ selected and edited by H.J. Massingham, published by the Nonesuch Press, 1938. Wood- engraving

Object details

Category
Illustration
Object type
Print
Materials and techniques
Wood-engraving
Printing Ink
Wood-Engraving
Brief description
Eric Ravilious: Proof of decoration to ‘The Writings of Gilbert White of Selborne’ including ‘The Natural History of Selborne’ selected and edited by H.J. Massingham, published by the Nonesuch Press, 1938. Wood- engraving
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.7cm
  • Width: 10.2cm
Gallery label
(2017)
Display 'Into the Woods: Trees in Illustration'; Gallery 102; June 2017 to the end of January 2018

Eric Ravilious (1903-1942)

Illustrations to 'The Writings of Gilbert White of Selbourne including The Natural History of Selbourne' selected and edited by H.J. Massingham, published by the Nonesuch Press

1938

Ravilious was delighted to be commissioned to illustrate this edition of White's writings. When he was cutting the printing blocks for his illustrations he wrote to a friend, saying "It is quite the best book I've ever been given to do and I love doing it." The illustrations are rooted in the text and show White's garden and the surrounding landscape including the famous beech hanger woodlands (growing on steep hillsides) characteristic of this area of Hampshire.

Wood engravings

Museum nos. E.536, 537, 541, 543-1972
Literary referenceNatural History of Selborne by Gilbert White
Bibliographic reference
'Hollow Lane Among the singularities of this place the two rocky hollow lanes, the one to Alton, and the other to the forest, deserve our attention. These roads, running through the malm lands, are, by the traffic of ages, and the fretting of water, worn down through the first stratum of our freestone, and partly through the second...delight the naturalist with thier various botany, and particularly with their curious (ferns) with which they abound.' (quoting from Gilbert White) Jeremy Greenwood, Ravilious Engravings, The Wood Lea Press, Great Britain, 2008, p.254-267
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.537-1972

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1009785/print-ravilious-eric/
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