Dodgson, Campbell: Catalogue of early German and Flemish woodcuts: preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (Band 1): [German and Flemish woodcuts of the XV century] (London, 1903)

Part I.—Introduction.

33

The second statement corresponds to tlie facts: the first requires
modification. If we examine a large number of the woodcuts whicli
we liave good reason for ascribing to a periocl earlier than the intro-
duction of the printing-press, we shall find differences which make it
hard to helieve that all were printed in the same way, with the
rubher. Dr. Lippmann1 has suggested, with great probability, a third
and still more primitive method of printing, wliich explains satis-
factority the peculiar appearance of tliat large group of coarse and
early woodcuts, which, as we liave seen, passed some years ago for
metal-cuts.

I have said that wood-engraving for the purpose of printing
pictures on paper arose from wood-engraving for the purpose of
printing patterns on stuff. If we knew how the latter sort of printing
was done we should expect to find here some clue to the mode of
printing used for the earliest woodcuts. Lortunately we have in
Cennino Cennini’s “ Treatise on Painting ” (composed before 1437) a
precise description of the method of printing on stuff from a wood-
block.2 The stuff was stretched in a square frame, tlie block was laid
face downwards on the stuff, so that the ink or colour came in contact
with it, and held in position in some way not explained, perhaps only
with the printer’s left hand; the printer then with his right hand
rubbed the under side of the stuff vigorously with a wooden shield
across so much space as was covered by the block. In tliis way the
pattern was transferred to the stuff by two different kinds of pressure,
from above and below. ISTow it is obvious that this method of
printing could not be appliecl without modification to paper, for the
material woulcl not be strong enough to bear the strain of being
stretchecl on a frame ancl vigorously rubbecl.

We must suppose that the pressure from above was retainecl, the
rubbing from below abandoned. The paper, damped as in later press-
printing, was laid on a firm even surface. The block, covered with
the thick oily ink, printing very black, which we find was used for
all the earliest woodcuts,3 was then laicl face clownwards on the paper

Metliocl of
printing 011
textiles, as
described by
Oennini.

First methocl
of printing
woodcuts:
simple
pressure on
the back of
the block.

1 Repert. f. Kunstiv. i, 218-221. I am indebted to this article of Dr. Lippmann’s
for almost all that is said in this Introduction on the subject of printing.

2 Cap. 173 : “ II modo di lavorare colla forma dipinti in panno.”

3 This is inconsistent with two statements by Mr. Weale (Bibliograpkical Society’s
Transaclions, iv, p. 208): first, that “ the earliest of these prints ” (woodcuts found in
tombs at Bruges, one of which tombs, he alleges, was older than 1412) “were taken
from the wood-blocks in watery ink by means of a rubber ” ; secondly, that “ soon after
this clate (1426) the use of oil as a medium for printing was intioduced, and tliis gave
rise to another lawsuit, terminated by a decision of the magistrates, dated 17th August,
1447, forbidding its use by anyone who was not a member of the Gild of Painters.”
I have not seen any of these Bruges woodcuts, but tlie facts, as given by Mr. Weale,
are so inconsistent with all the other eviclence which we possess, at any rate for

D