Lithographs

We have just returned from a very successful European buying trip. The container will arrive by mid-April, and we will post photos and information as soon as we can. You asked for sideboards – we bought four! We found several sets of deco arm chairs, some gorgeous Murano sconces, a pair of incredible Napoleon III petite cabinets in mint condition, and a huge wrought iron light fixture, just to hit the highlights!

On another note, some of you have enjoyed the original, numbered French lithographs we acquired a few years ago. Framed and on our walls they could be mistaken for more traditional prints or, worse, posters! We thought you might be interested in learning exactly what a lithograph is, and offer this Google description:

Stone lithography, invented by a German in 1798, was the first fundamentally new printing technology since the invention of relief printing in the fifteenth century, and it was the first technology that allowed an artist to work using traditional techniques. Prior to lithography, artists had to create a relief by carving or shaping a reverse image on a wood or metal plate. Artists, however, normally dealt with pencils and brushes and were typically not comfortable working in such a medium. Lithography enabled them to create prints that could rival an original painting in terms of detail, mood and color variations.

In essence lithography involved the use of a wax on a porous stone. The artist would make a sketch on the surface of the stone with a waxy substance, which would fill-in the holes in the stone. Following this an acid mixture was spread across the entire surface of the stone. The acid etched those parts of the stone not covered by the wax, creating a slight relief of the area that was sketched. This became the plate on which the paint was applied and the paper impressed.

Early colored lithographs used one or two colors of paint to tint the entire plate and create a watercolor-like tone to the image. This atmospheric effect was primarily used for landscape or topographical illustrations. For more detailed coloration, artists continued to rely on hand coloring over the lithograph.

Great progress was made in the technique in the 1800’s. By the 1880s, lithography was widely used for magazines and advertising. At the same time, however, photographic processes were being developed that would replace lithography by the beginning of the twentieth century.

The colors and detail of our early lithographs is truly impressive. The collection includes series of flowers, leafy plants, fish, animals and birds. They are signed and numbered and guaranteed authentic. The full collection will be available in the store for viewing this summer. Those we have had framed appear on this site in some of the vignettes as well as on the Art page.