Prints and drawings may not seem the most obvious choice for beginning collectors, yet for many they are among the most fascinating fields of art.
Here we encounter techniques based on a simple and fragile material -paper. Combined with ink, pencil, charcoal, or pastels, it becomes the medium for works that can move us just as deeply as monumental oil paintings.
Sketches by renowned artists, old maps, prints documenting historical events, or city views are becoming increasingly valuable. Because paper is delicate, every surviving work carries not only aesthetic but also historical significance.
Gustav Friedrich Amalius Taubert, Profile Portrait of Józefina Amalia Potocka, chalk drawing on paper, Warsaw, 1796
This miniature profile portrait depicts Józefina Amalia Potocka, shown in half-length, from the right profile. The woman's hair features backcombed curls, cascading freely onto her neck and shoulders. A delicate hint of pink accentuates her lips, cheek, and chin, subtly enlivening the facial drawing. She is attired in a light-colored gown, its bodice adorned with a white polka-dot pattern. Her shoulders are draped with a light grey shawl featuring a darker, misty pattern. The background is shaded, rendered in shades of grey, with the upper section distinctly lighter. The entire piece was executed in pencil and chalk in a grey palette. The lips, chin, and blush areas were further tinted with pinkish gouache or watercolor.
The work is signed at the bottom left, within the oval: "Gus. Taubert. / fecit. Warsovie / 1796". Miniature in an old paper frame with remnants of a gilded border.
Dimensions: 9.5 cm h, 7 cm w oval with composition; 10.5 cm x 9 cm with frame
Madonna and Child (Mother of God of Mariampole), woodcut on handmade paper, Poland, 18th/19th century.
Original Polish folk sacred woodcut from the late 18th or early 19th century, depicting the Virgin Mary with Child, also known as the Mother of God of Mariampole. The figure of Mary wearing a crown, surrounded by stars, holding the infant Jesus dressed in a red cloak, with a book in her hand with the inscription at the bottom "AIRAMS." The composition is static, simplified and symmetrical, typical of devotional prints widespread among the people.
Saint Anthony with Child Jesus, woodcut on handmade paper, Poland, 18th/19th century.
Original folk devotional woodcut from the late 18th or early 19th century, depicting St. Anthony of Padua with the Infant Jesus. The figure is framed frontally, wearing a red robe, holding the Child and flowers (lilies - symbol of purity). The shot is surrounded by a decorative leafy frame, with the inscription "OSANTONIEGOCUDOIOR" at the bottom. Framed.