Reproductive engravings are a specific type of engraving that reproduce other finished works of art or images. These engravings were valued more highly than common illustrative or religious prints but were not considered pieces of fine art themselves. Reproductive engravings imitated a wide range of media including paintings, monuments, architecture, and sculptures, offering each in a more portable format. This was particularly important in the time before photography when reproductive engravings were the only images of artworks available other than the originals.
These engraving offered many advantages to artists. A single engraved copper plate could create hundreds of impressions making reproductive engraving an economical way for artists to promote themselves to large audiences. This increased accessibility also allowed artists to study each other’s works without having to see them in person. An example of a reproductive print in the Middlebury Museum’s collections is Philippe Thomassi’s Allegory of the Salvation (1605–22), which reproduces Giorgio Vasari’s An Allegory of the Immaculate Conception (c. 1540). The print is an inverse of the original because the engraving on the copper plate is reversed during printing, but otherwise imitates Vasari’s painting with only a few compositional changes.
Written by Camille Gonzalez-Williamson, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes
Bibliography
Andres, Glenn M. “Introducing the John Hull Brown Collection.” Middlebury College Newsletter, 1978, Fall edition.
“Reproductive Prints.” National Gallery of Art. Accessed September 14, 2020. https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/reproductive-prints.html.
Reznicek, E. K. J. “Goltzius [Gols; Goltius; Goltz; Golzius], Hendrick.” Grove Art Online. 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000033104.
