Painted Prints

An old master print with colour is almost invariably regarded as a suspect object because the colour is presumed to be a cosmetic addition made to compensate for deficiencies of design or condition. This work challenges this deeply entrenched assumption about the material and aesthetic structure of old master prints by showing that in many cases hand colouring is not a dubious supplement to a print but is instead an integral element augmenting its expressive power, beauty and meaning. Published in conjunction with with an exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art and St. Louis Art Museum, "Painted Prints" reproduces and discusses a rich variety of hand-coloured prints from Northern Europe of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Anonymous woodcuts are juxtaposed with masterworks by such famed artists as Durer, Holbein and Goltzius. These prints, secular as well as religious, muted as well as vibrant in tonality, make it clear that hand colouring was a widespread, enduring practice, developed to satisfy the demands of both elite and popular audiences. "Painted Prints" presents research into the men and women who specialized in hand colouring and offers numerous insights into the social and economic organization of Renaissance and Baroque printmaking. It also draws on scientific analyses of the materials and techniques of hand colouring to address important questions of authenticity, chronology and condition.