c1852 Antique Victorian ELK Dog Hunting Print s BAXTER - Documented by Christie's

Antiques : Art : Prints : Chromolithograph : Hunting : Dog : Elk

 

Awesome! These 2 elk prints are very, very old, and date 1852-1873. They have been authenticated by Christie's, and were produced by the Baxter Times. The first print, "The Stag's Leap", depicts a terror stricken stag jumping over a mountain stream in an attempt to flee from two hounds in close pursuit. The second print "The Stag's Death", shows a stag in his last efforts to escape, plunging into a river with three hounds upon him. These prints are truly exceptional works of art from the Civil War period, and I'm selling them at a fraction of the cost.

The backing reads: "A unique Baxter print produced by the J. M. Kronheim & Co, London firm between 1852 and 1875. The Baxter process required printing of the complete picture from an engraved steel plate in a neutral color, followed by overprinting with a series of cut-away wood or metal blocks to apply the individual tints; generally between ten and twenty color blocks were necessary. The success of the print depended on the quality of the blockmaking and color selection, and the accuracy with which the individual blocks were superimposed. Added to this was Baxter's expertise in mixing colors and using an oil medium. The paper had to be damp for printing and dried after each color application, consequently it was a very laborious and slow process. In fact a printer would be hard pressed to get more than twelve prints in a hour from the initial engraved plate. However, the quality of the colored print was astounding and in Baxter's word's "as good, or better than, the original painting."

Baxter went to produce prints for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Kronheim eventually took over the firm from Baxter. Both men produced prints with exceptional detail, and took great pains to ensure their works were truly beautiful.

Each print's sight size is 3 x 4.25 inches, and the overall size with the off white and gold archival mats is 8 x 10 inches, ready for framing. Please note that the closeup photos were taken through the protective plastic shrink wrap--the images are much crisper than shown. They are in fine mint condition. They are a beautiful example of early Victorian art, rarely found, and will be a truly treasured gift for the hunter or to decorate a lodge home.

Item ID: RL201