This time, it was with Debashish (DRC). I had forgotten the Bedfont Lakes office as it is not the best of offices I'd like to visit :) Nobody gives a shit about Bedfont really. So depressing. Nobody makes it feel better than Southbank actually (when am I going to be there, next?).
Anyway, this trip would be memorable due to the two very valuable (at least historically) assets I picked up during a casual stroll along Southbank.
Printing was absolute pain in the arse those days. Lithography - was used as a process. This one in particular was printed out of a hand-made steel engraving and then hand-coloured.
Now, can you imagine building such a detailed 'template' being hand-engraved in steel. Closer look in the 2nd picture.
Perfect details on 'human settlements' along the banks of the Hoogly. The Fort William (originally designed to resemble a lotus flower) was huge. Of course, it moved to its modern position today and no longer stands now. It has been replaced by the GPO in that position.
Now this is one is a treasure for me. A 1756 (!) original print based on the Great Exodus in The Bible. You can see Moses and team on the right having crossed over to the neighboring land. The Pharaoh and his men is being engulfed by the Red Sea. I was also interested in the manner in which the Pharaoh and his men has been depicted. That is, not the traditional mummified-version of the Pharaohs that we come across in museums. But that's the originality isn't it? I just realised that our version of the Pharaoh-depictions (head band and all that) is according to the discoveries of the Egyptian civilization (=tombs & mummies). But this was early 18th century and people had no idea how Egyptians looked like.
Oh boy am I glad today?
This was developed under a copper-template by the way. Same process. Same pain. And hand-color-painted. There was a series of these paintings in the anique-shop but I didn't think I could afford any more.
Anyway, this trip would be memorable due to the two very valuable (at least historically) assets I picked up during a casual stroll along Southbank.
Printing was absolute pain in the arse those days. Lithography - was used as a process. This one in particular was printed out of a hand-made steel engraving and then hand-coloured.
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Perfect details on 'human settlements' along the banks of the Hoogly. The Fort William (originally designed to resemble a lotus flower) was huge. Of course, it moved to its modern position today and no longer stands now. It has been replaced by the GPO in that position.
Now this is one is a treasure for me. A 1756 (!) original print based on the Great Exodus in The Bible. You can see Moses and team on the right having crossed over to the neighboring land. The Pharaoh and his men is being engulfed by the Red Sea. I was also interested in the manner in which the Pharaoh and his men has been depicted. That is, not the traditional mummified-version of the Pharaohs that we come across in museums. But that's the originality isn't it? I just realised that our version of the Pharaoh-depictions (head band and all that) is according to the discoveries of the Egyptian civilization (=tombs & mummies). But this was early 18th century and people had no idea how Egyptians looked like.
Oh boy am I glad today?
This was developed under a copper-template by the way. Same process. Same pain. And hand-color-painted. There was a series of these paintings in the anique-shop but I didn't think I could afford any more.
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