The Massacre of the Innocents and The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

anonymous, c. 1460 - c. 1470

Block books are an early form of letterpress printing in which text and illustrations were carved into the same block of wood. The technique was developed around 1450, at the same time as the art of typesetting. Analogous to a comic strip, biblical prophets are shown speaking by means of text bands. Despite the effective combination of word and image, block books were a short-lived phenomenon.

  • Artwork typeprint
  • Object numberRP-P-2017-1118-1
  • Dimensionsheight 269 mm x width 384 mm
  • Physical characteristicshandgekleurde houtsnede

Identification

  • Title(s)

    The Massacre of the Innocents and The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

  • Object type

  • Object number

    RP-P-2017-1118-1

  • Description

    Blokboek bifolium uit een Biblia Pauperum met de Kindermoord te Bethlehem en de Terugkeer van de Heilige familie uit Egypte, geflankeerd door typologische voorstellingen uit het Oude Testament en boven en onder voorstellingen van Profeten.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    • collector's mark: Lugt 2760
    • watermark: Briquet 7642
    • watermark: Briquet 7711
    • collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Creation

  • Creation

    printmaker: anonymous, Southern Netherlands

  • Dating

    c. 1460 - c. 1470

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    handgekleurde houtsnede

  • Dimensions

    height 269 mm x width 384 mm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Purchased with the support of the F.G. Waller-Fonds

  • Acquisition

    purchase 2017-02-09

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

Persistent URL

Questions?

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