John Baptist Jackson woodcuts



Some of the most impressive prints of the eighteenth century are the set of chiaroscuro woodcuts from Venetian paintings by John Baptist Jackson (c.1700-c.1770), issued in groups between 1739 and 1745.
Originally from London, Jackson was apprenticed to Jean Michel Papillon in Paris before settling in Venice by 1731. Disillusioned with the intricate engraving techniques then dominant, he determined to revive the bold chiaroscuro woodcut style of the early Northern European masters. Between 1739 and 1745 he designed seventeen of these woodcuts, using two or three tints to create a set of highly distinctive prints, of which we currently have the following in stock, all framed and mounted:


The Holy Family and Four Saints, after Veronese
















Dives and Lazarus, after Bassano (right plate)














                                                               
 The Death of St. Peter Martyr, after Titian


The Descent of the Holy Spirit, after Titian


















refs: Richard T. Godfrey, Printmaking in Britain; Timothy Clayton, The English Print 1688-1802

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