Etching

One of the masterpieces of printmaking in Prague during the reign of the Emperor Rudolf II (1576- 1612), and a highlight of the important exhibition 'Printmaking in Prague' held in the British Museum this summer, is the famous etching of the interior of the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle by Aegidius Sadeler II.

'Catspaws off the Land and Parting with the Tug' are a pair of drypoint etchings by Staithes Group artist Frank Henry Mason (1875-1965), signed in pencil with Fine Art Trade Guild blindstamps, Nos 7 and 8.

Despite the issues of supply affecting the market, odd pockets of success were evident at the latest Old Master sales in London.

Negotiating the sometimes complex world of prints by the 17th century Dutch Master

There are only three other known examples of this early David Hockney (b.1937) etching titled 'Self-Portrait (not in S.A.C. or Tokyo)'.

Among the Charles Tunnicliffe works drawing the most attention at Halls’ sale on September 15 (see main story) were pictures bought by the vendor directly from the artist’s family, with whom they were acquainted.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Group acquired by influential dealer Oliver Hoare brings solid demand

The top-priced picture of the Dominic Winter sale on July 23 came for a print from a separate source to the Oliver Hoare prints.

Life model depicted by Freud, Auerbach and even Lennon amassed her own art collection

Offered with moderate estimates, two Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) etchings from the Vollard Suite drew demand at the recent timed online sale of Modern & Contemporary art at Halls (20% buyer’s premium).

A group of three etchings by Frank Auerbach (b.1931), all head studies of fellow artists, were among the lots receiving interest at Roseberys’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest sale of Modern and Contemporary prints.

Samuel Palmer (1805-81) prints are not unusual on the market but one of two that were offered as a single lot at Chorley’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) in Cheltenham carried an interesting inscription by the artist’s son, AH Palmer.

Self-portraits are among the earliest prints that Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) made, accounting for a large portion of his etching output when he was in his 20s and living in Leiden.

Populated with grotesque figures, this 16th century engraving after the early Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) sold for £16,000 at auction in London.

Watercolour collection sold at auction represents a ‘who’s who’ of the city in the 1830s

A rare copy of the earliest-known depiction of a book auction emerged for sale in Gloucestershire at the end of last month.

Exactly a week before Harry Rutherford’s ‘Camden Town’ painting sold in London (see separate Art Market story this edition), a small undated sketch, Female Nude, by his prolific mentor and tutor Walter Sickert (1860-1942) cropped up in Kent.

Pictured here is one of several etchings by James Abbott McNeil Whistler that will feature in Swann Galleries’ sale of prints on May 2.