The Offering

Sir Edward John Poynter, PRA RWS

Royal Academy, 1885

Drawing reproduced by three-colour process

Source the 1897-98 Magazine of Art.

“This reproduction of the charming drawing executed last year by the President of the Royal Academy has been made, not only on artistic grounds along, but in order that we may show the exact point to which which is known as the ‘three-colour process’ has developed.” [continued below]

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the University of Toronto and the Internet Archive and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one. — George P. Landow]

The qualities of oil paint, its texture and surface, as well as colour, are much easier of reproduction than the more delicate subtleties of water-colour. These difficulties have been met to a considerable extent, though not altogether, in the plate. . . Some of the delicacy in the silvery touches has been lost, but there are passages which represent the original with curious fidelity. It is difficult for those who are acquainted with colour-printing as known ans practiced heretofore, to realise that in a plate such as this, withits infinite gradations and passages of delightful tones, no more than three blocks — three coloured inks: red, blue, and yellow — have been used in the printing of it. The process is rapidly being perfected, and it is confidently expected that within a very short time absolute facsimile, not of pictures only, but of objects, will be within its capacity. [39]

Bibliography

“The Offering” Magazine of Art. 9 (1897-98): 39. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 29 October 2014.

Last modified 3 January 2015