Artwork
Henry Chichele, founder of All Souls College, Oxford
Henry Chichele, founder of All Souls College, Oxford is a print by the Romanticist artist John Taylor. It dates from 1772 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This print shows Henry Chichele, who helped start All Souls College in Oxford in 1438. The artist, John Taylor, made it between 1772 and 1773.
Taylor mixed two printing methods. He used acid to etch some lines and a sharp tool to engrave others. Both methods cut grooves to hold ink on a metal plate.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.
Overview
This print, created between 1772 and 1773 by John Taylor, depicts Henry Chichele, a key figure in the founding of All Souls College, Oxford. It is a mixed-media print, combining etching and engraving techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The print is based on an 18th-century drawing that recorded a stained glass window at All Souls College, showing Henry Chichele, who co-founded the institution in 1438. The image thus serves as a representation of a significant historical figure and event.
Technique & Style
The print combines etching and engraving techniques, with acid used to create etched lines and a burin employed to score engraved lines. Both methods involve cutting grooves into a metal plate to hold ink, which is then transferred to paper.
History & Provenance
The print is believed to have originally belonged to Horace Walpole and hung in his Gothic-revival house at Strawberry Hill. It was sold in 1842 and later appeared in an antique shop, where it was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Taylor made printed portraits and landscape oils in the 1700s. He etched the founder of All Souls College in Oxford, Henry Chichele, and painted a wooded classical evening scene full of tiny foreground figures.…
