Who painted The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed?

The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed was painted by Edward Price in 1834.

Where can I see The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed?

The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed?

The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed

Edward Price , 1834

The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed is a print by the Romanticist artist Edward Price. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Bound in brown leather, the volume was once part of the Lennox-Boyd collection, a private assemblage of British graphic art and related artifacts.

The print *The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed* is one of twenty-one images in a bound volume produced in the 19th century, featuring landscape subjects with accompanying textual descriptions. Bound in brown leather, the volume was once part of the Lennox-Boyd collection, a private assemblage of British graphic art and related artifacts. Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015 via an inheritance tax settlement, the collection’s breadth extended beyond prints to include period frames, textiles, and ephemera.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts a rugged mountain pass dominated by towering cliffs and a central cascade of water. Dark, churning skies loom overhead, contrasting with sharply defined rock faces and deep shadows. The composition conveys nature’s grandeur and indifference to human presence, aligning with Romantic ideals that emphasized awe and sublimity in wild landscapes. The absence of figures reinforces the sense of isolation and elemental force.

Technique & Style

The print employs mezzotint, a technique known for its rich tonal gradations and dramatic contrasts. The artist manipulated the plate to create deep blacks and luminous highlights, enhancing the verticality of the peaks and the turbulence of the clouds. This method, popular in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries, allowed for atmospheric depth and texture, lending the scene a tactile, almost sculptural quality.

History & Provenance

The print originated within a privately compiled album assembled by the Lennox-Boyd family, known for their dedication to British print culture. Their collection, spanning mezzotints, theatrical engravings, and decorative arts, was systematically expanded through acquisitions and scholarly publications. Following the death of the collector, the entire group was transferred to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015 under a government inheritance tax arrangement, preserving its integrity for public study.

Context

Produced during the height of Romanticism, the print reflects broader cultural interests in Britain’s natural landscapes and the sublime. Similar works appeared in illustrated travel volumes, catering to an audience fascinated by remote regions and dramatic topography. The inclusion of such prints in bound albums suggests they were valued not merely as images but as objects of contemplation, linking visual art with literary and scientific curiosity about the natural world.

Legacy

The print remains part of a larger archival resource at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it contributes to the understanding of 19th-century British printmaking and collecting practices. Its preservation within the Lennox-Boyd collection ensures its contextual relationship with related materials—frames, ephemera, and publications—offering researchers a multidimensional view of how landscape imagery was curated, consumed, and valued in its time.