1826-1850 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Decorative papers have been used in a variety of ways from the sixteenth century onwards: in book production, as end and cover papers, as lining papers for trunks and deed boxes, as decoration for cases containing musical instruments, as back patterns for playing cards, and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries at least, as wrapping papers. Several of the larger scale patterns were also suitable for use as wallpapers.
Some of the most elegant and luxurious of the decorated papers of the past, such as this example, belong to a group known as 'Dutch gilt' or 'Dutch floral' papers, and in Germany as 'Goldbrokatpapier' (gold brocade papers) or sometimes.
Gold-embossed papers, which were first made at the beginning of the eighteenth century, continued to be produced until about the middle of the nineteenth century. The method of making them was from a deeply-engraved copperplate, heated and covered with imitation gold (or more rarely silver) leaf. The metal used was an alloy of copper, tin, zinc or even lead. The paper which was first coloured by hand or stencilled, was placed on the plate and passed through a roller press. The 'gold' adhered to the lines of the design engraved in the plate, and the surplus was brushed off, leaving the pattern embossed and outlined in gold on the colour paper. The eighteenth and nineteenth century printers of Augsburg, Nuremberg and Fuerth in Germany excelled in the manufacture of these papers.
The name 'Dutch gilt' may have originated in the fact that Dutch traders imported the papers into Holland and exported them again to England and France, but it has been suggested that 'Dutch' may be a corruption of 'Deutsch' (German).
The patterns range from naturalistic or fantastic floral and fruit designs to conventional scrolls of acanthus, strapwork and pomegranates. Another group, as in this example, contain portraits of saints, worthies and other figures; these are often divided into separate framed subjects and are known in Germany as 'Bilderbogen' (picture sheets); it would seem that they were intended to be cut out.
From 'Decorative Endpapers'; Victoria and Albert Colour Books; Webb & Bower; 1985.
Some of the most elegant and luxurious of the decorated papers of the past, such as this example, belong to a group known as 'Dutch gilt' or 'Dutch floral' papers, and in Germany as 'Goldbrokatpapier' (gold brocade papers) or sometimes.
Gold-embossed papers, which were first made at the beginning of the eighteenth century, continued to be produced until about the middle of the nineteenth century. The method of making them was from a deeply-engraved copperplate, heated and covered with imitation gold (or more rarely silver) leaf. The metal used was an alloy of copper, tin, zinc or even lead. The paper which was first coloured by hand or stencilled, was placed on the plate and passed through a roller press. The 'gold' adhered to the lines of the design engraved in the plate, and the surplus was brushed off, leaving the pattern embossed and outlined in gold on the colour paper. The eighteenth and nineteenth century printers of Augsburg, Nuremberg and Fuerth in Germany excelled in the manufacture of these papers.
The name 'Dutch gilt' may have originated in the fact that Dutch traders imported the papers into Holland and exported them again to England and France, but it has been suggested that 'Dutch' may be a corruption of 'Deutsch' (German).
The patterns range from naturalistic or fantastic floral and fruit designs to conventional scrolls of acanthus, strapwork and pomegranates. Another group, as in this example, contain portraits of saints, worthies and other figures; these are often divided into separate framed subjects and are known in Germany as 'Bilderbogen' (picture sheets); it would seem that they were intended to be cut out.
From 'Decorative Endpapers'; Victoria and Albert Colour Books; Webb & Bower; 1985.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embossed gold brocade on blue laid paper |
| Brief description | Embossed gold brocade paper by the firm of Renner & Abel; Nuremberg; 1826-1850 |
| Physical description | Blue paper with embossed, gold figures of saints within decorative frames. There are four rows of saints with seven saints in each row |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Nurnberg bei G N Renner & Abel (stamped in bottom right corner) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund |
| Object history | Previously belonged to the late John Hunt of Dublin, Longhur, The Hunt Museum, Limerick. |
| Summary | Decorative papers have been used in a variety of ways from the sixteenth century onwards: in book production, as end and cover papers, as lining papers for trunks and deed boxes, as decoration for cases containing musical instruments, as back patterns for playing cards, and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries at least, as wrapping papers. Several of the larger scale patterns were also suitable for use as wallpapers. Some of the most elegant and luxurious of the decorated papers of the past, such as this example, belong to a group known as 'Dutch gilt' or 'Dutch floral' papers, and in Germany as 'Goldbrokatpapier' (gold brocade papers) or sometimes. Gold-embossed papers, which were first made at the beginning of the eighteenth century, continued to be produced until about the middle of the nineteenth century. The method of making them was from a deeply-engraved copperplate, heated and covered with imitation gold (or more rarely silver) leaf. The metal used was an alloy of copper, tin, zinc or even lead. The paper which was first coloured by hand or stencilled, was placed on the plate and passed through a roller press. The 'gold' adhered to the lines of the design engraved in the plate, and the surplus was brushed off, leaving the pattern embossed and outlined in gold on the colour paper. The eighteenth and nineteenth century printers of Augsburg, Nuremberg and Fuerth in Germany excelled in the manufacture of these papers. The name 'Dutch gilt' may have originated in the fact that Dutch traders imported the papers into Holland and exported them again to England and France, but it has been suggested that 'Dutch' may be a corruption of 'Deutsch' (German). The patterns range from naturalistic or fantastic floral and fruit designs to conventional scrolls of acanthus, strapwork and pomegranates. Another group, as in this example, contain portraits of saints, worthies and other figures; these are often divided into separate framed subjects and are known in Germany as 'Bilderbogen' (picture sheets); it would seem that they were intended to be cut out. From 'Decorative Endpapers'; Victoria and Albert Colour Books; Webb & Bower; 1985. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.3716-2004 |
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| Record created | May 11, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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