Q11U563CRLSSI



J,

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONUNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 4^fit. <^
BULLETIN 222WASHINGTON, D.C.1962
\
United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1962
For sale by tlie Superintendent o? Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeWashington 25, D.C.
John Baptist Jackson:
IStli-Century Master
of the Color Woodcut
Jacob K.ainen
CURATOR OF GRAPHIC ARTSMUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY
Publications of the United States National Museum
The scholarly publications of the United States National Museum includetwo series, Proceedings of the Uiiited States National Museum and UnitedStates National Museum Bulletin.In these series are published original articles and monographs dealingwith the collections and work of the Museum and setting forth newly ac-quired facts in the fields of Anthropology, Biology, History, Geology, andTechnology. Copies of each publication are distributed to hbraries and scientificorganizations and to specialists and others interested in the different subjects.The Proceedings, begun in 1878, are intended for the publication in sepa-
rate form, of shorter papers. These are gathered in volumes, octavo in size, withthe publication date of each paper recorded in the table of contents of thevolume.In the Bulletin series, the first of which was issued in 1875, appear longer,separate publications consisting of monographs (occasionally in several parts)and volumes in which are collected works on related subjects. Btdletins areeither octavo or quarto in size, depending on the needs of the presentation.Since 1902 papers relating to the botanical collections of the Museum have beenpublished in the Bulletin series under the heading Contributions from theUnited States National Herbarium.This work forms number 222 of the Bulletin series.
Remington KelloggDirector, United States National Museum
CONTENTS
PagtPreface ix
Jackson and his Tradition 3The Woodcut Tradition 4Status of the Woodcut 7The Chiaroscuro Tradition 9
Jackson and his Work 13England: Obscure Beginnings 14Paris: Perfection of a Craft 17Venice: The Heroic Effort 15England Again: The V/jllpaper Venture 40Critical Opinion 51Postscript 54
Catalog 69Prints hy Jackson 71Jackson s Workshop 90Unverified Subjects 95The Chiaroscuros and Color Woodcuts 97
Bibliography 171
Index to Plates 177
Index 181
VII
SMITHSONIAN ,,,., -,INSTITUTION -^

PREFACE
JOHN BAPTIST JACKSON has received little recognition as an artist. This isnot surprising if we remember that originality in a woodcutter was not considered
a virtue until quite recently. We can now see that he was more important than
earlier critics had realized. He was the most adventurous and ambitious of earlierwoodcutters and a trailblazer in turning his art resolutely in the direction ofpolychrome.To 19th century writers on art, from whom we have inherited the bulk ofstandard catalogs, lexicons, and histories?along with their judgments?Jackson'swork seemed less a break with tradition than a corruption of it. His chiaroscurowoodcuts (prints from a succession of woodblocks composing a single subject inmonochrome light and shade) were invariably compared with those of the i6thcentury Italians and were usually found wanting. The exasperated tone of many
critics may have been the result of an uneasy feeling that he was being judged bythe wrong standards. The purpose of this monograph, aside from providing thefirst full-length study of Jackson and his prints, is to examine these standards. Thetraditions of the woodcut and the color print will therefore receive more attentionthan might be expected, but I feel that such treatment is essential if we are to
appreciate Jackson's contribution, in which technical innovation is a major element.Short accounts of Jackson have appeared in almost all standard dictionaries
of painters and engravers and in numerous historical surveys, but these have beenbased upon meager evidence. A fraction of his work was usually known anddetails of his life were, and still are, sparse. Later writers interpreting the com-ments of their predecessors have repeated as fact much that was conjecture. Thepicture of Jackson that has come down to us, therefore, is unclear and fragmentary.
IX
If he does not emerge from this study completely accounted for from birthto death, it has not been because of lack of effort. Biographical data for his earlyand late life?about fifty years in all?are almost entirely missing despiteyears of diligent search. As a man he remains a shadowy figure. I have tracedJackson's life as far as the available evidence will permit, quoting from the writingsof the artist and his contemporaries at some length to convey an essential flavor,but I have refrained from filling in gaps by straining at conjecture.While details of his life are vague, sufficient information is at hand to recon-
struct his personality clearly enough. After all, Jackson wrote a book and wasquoted at length in another. A contemporary fellow-practitioner wrote about himwith considerable feeling. These and other sources give a good indication of the
artist's character.The man we have to deal with had something excessive about him; he washeadstrong, tactless, impractical, enormously energetic, a prodigious worker, aconceiver of grandiose projects, and a relentless hunter of patrons. He was at homewith his social superiors and had some pretentions to literary culture, he had acoarse gift for the vivid phrase in writing, and his tastes in art ran to the classicand heroic.This study includes an illustrated catalog of Jackson's chiaroscuros and colorprints. Previous catalogs, notably those of Nagler, Le Blanc, and Heller, have listedno more than twenty-five works. The present catalog more than triples thisnumber.To acknowledge fully the assistance given by museum curators, librarians,
archivists, and scholars on both sides of the Atlantic would necessitate a very longlist of names. However, I wish especially to thank Mr. Peter A. Wick of the Mu-seum of Fine Arts, Boston, who has been generous enough to allow me to read hiswell-documented paper on Jackson's Ricci prints; Mr. A. Hyatt Mayor of theMetropolitan Museum of Art; Mr. Carl Zigrosser of the Philadelphia Museum ofArt; Miss Anna C. Hoyt and Mrs. Anne B. Freedberg of the Museum of Fine Arts,Boston; Dr. Jakob Rosenberg and Miss Ruth S. Magurn of the Fogg Art Museum;Mr. Karl Kup of the New York Public Library; Miss Elizabeth Mongan of theRosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art; Miss Una E. Johnson of the Brook-lyn Museum; Mr. Gustave von Groschwitz of the Cincinnati Art Museum; andDr. Philip W. Bishop of the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
I am particularly grateful to curators of European collections, who have beenuniformly generous in their assistance. Special tlianks are due Mr. J. A. Gere ofthe British Museum and Mr. James Laver of the Victoria and Albert Museum,who have gone to considerable trouble to acquaint me with their great collections.Others whose help must be particularly noted are Mr. Peter Murray, CourtauldInstitute of Art, University of London; Mme. R. Maquoy-Hendrickx of the Bib-Hotheque Royale de Belgique, Brussels; Dr. Vladimir Novotny of the NarodniGalerie, Prague; Dr. Wegner of the Graphische Sammlung, Munich; Dr. WolfStubbe of the Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Dr. G, Busch of the Kunsthalle, Bremen;Dr. Hans Mohle of the Staatiiche Museen, Berlin; Dr. Menz of the StaatlicheKunstsammlungen, Dresden; Miss B. L. D. Ihle of the Boymans Museum, Rot-terdam; and M. Jean Adhemar of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.The excellent collections of chiaroscuro prints in the Museums of the Smith-sonian Institution have formed a valuable basis for this monograph. These printsinclude the set of Jackson's Venetian chiaroscuros, originally owned by Jackson'spatron, Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, now in the Rosenwald Collection,National Gallery of Art, and the representative sampling of Jackson's work in theDivision of Graphic Arts, U.S. National Museum.
I am indebted to the following museums which have kindly given permissionto reproduce Jackson prints in their collections. These are listed by catalog number.Smithsonian Institution 1 6, 1 8, 19, 20, 21, 22 (also in color), 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,29. 30. 39' 50> 5I' 52, 53 (also in color), 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 63Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (W. G. Russell Allen Estate) i (also in color),
1 1, 14, 23, 33, 34, 38, 40 (also in color)Fogg Art Museum 13 (also in color)Worcester Art Museum 32Metropolitan Museum of Art 5 (Rogers Fund) (also in color), 17, 31 (giftof Winslow Ames), 73 (Whittelsey Fund)Philadelphia Museum of Art (John Frederick Lewis Collection) 2, 60, 61, 62,64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 74British Museum 2 (in color), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 37, 41, 42, 43 (also in color),44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 (also in color), 59, 6^, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76 (photographsby John R. Freeman & Co.)
XI
Victoria and Albert Museum (Crown copyright) 3, 35, ^6, 40Finally, I want to thank the Editorial Office of the Smithsonian Institutionfor planning and designing this book; the Government Printing Office for their
special care in its production; and Mr. Harold E. Hugo for his expert supervision
of the color plates.A grant from the American Philosophical Society (Johnson Fund), made itpossible to conduct research on Jackson in Europe. Acknowledgment is herewithgratefully given.
Jacob KainenSmithsonian InstitutionSeptember i, ig6i
XII
John Baptist Jackson
ISth-Century Master
of the Color Woodcut

Jackson and His Tradition
The Woodcut Tradition
A LTHOUGH the woodcut is the oldest traditional print medium it was the/A last to win respectability as an art form. It had to wait until the i88o'sJL A^ and 1890's, when Vallotton, Gauguin, Munch, and others made theirfirst unheralded efforts, and when Japanese prints came into vogue, for the initial
stirrings of a less biased attitude toward this medium, so long considered little morethan a craft. With the woodcut almost beneath notice it is understandable thatJackson's work should have failed to impress art historians unduly until recenttimes. Although he bore the brunt as an isolated prophet and special pleader be-tween 1725 and 1754, his significance began to be appreciated only after the turnof the 20th century, first perhaps by Martin Hardie in 1906, and next and more
clearly by Pierre Gusman in 1916 and Max J. Friedlander in 1917, when modern
artists were committing heresies, among them the elevation of the woodcut toprominence as a first-hand art form. In this iconoclastic atmosphere Jackson'salmost forgotten chiaroscuros no longer appeared as failures of technique, for theyhad been so regarded by most earlier writers, but as deliberately novel efforts in an
original style. The innovating character of his woodcuts in full color was also given
respectful mention for the first time. But these were brief assessments in general
surveys.If the woodcut was cheaply held, it was at least acceptable for certain lim-ited purposes. But printing pictures in color, in any medium, was considered aweakening of the fiber?an excursion into prettification or floridity. It was notesteemed in higher art circles, except for a short burst at the end of the 18th cen-tury in France and England. This was an important development, admittedly,and the prints were coveted until quite recently. They are still highly desirable.But while Bartolozzi stipple engravings or Janinet aquatints in color might havecommanded higher prices than Callots or Goyas, or even than many Durers andRembrandts, no one was fooled. The extreme desirability of the color prints wasmostly a matter of interior decoration: nothing could give a finer i8th centuryaura. It was not so much color printing that mattered; it was late iSth century
color printing that was wanted, often by amateurs who collected nothing else.
Color prints before and after this period did not appeal to discriminating collectorsexcept as rarities, as exotic offshoots. Even chiaroscuros, with their few sober tones,fell into this periphery. Jackson, as a result, was naturally excluded from the mainfield of attention.The worship of black-and-white as die highest expression of the graphic arts *automatically placed printmakers in color in one of two categories: producers of
abortive experiments, or purveyors of popular pictures to a frivolous or sentimentalpubHc. This estimate was unformnately true enough in most cases, true enough
at least to cause the practice to be regarded with suspicion. As an indication of howthings have changed in recent years we can say that color is no longer the excep-tion. It threatens, in fact, to become the rule, and black-and-white now fights a
retreating battle. A comparison of any large exhibition today with one of even 20years ago will make this plain.At first glance Jackson seems to be simply a belated 18th-century worker inthe chiaroscuro process. If to later generations his prints had a rather odd look,this was to be expected. Native qualities, even a certain crudeness, were expectedfrom the English who lacked advantages of training and tradition. And Jacksonwas not only the first English artist who worked in woodcut chiaroscuro, he was
virtually the first woodblock artist in England to rise beyond anonymity " (ElishaKirkall, as we shall see, cannot positively be identified as a wood engraver) andhe was the only one of note until Thomas Bewick arose to prominence about 1780.He was, then, England's first outstanding woodcutter. We will find other in-
stances of his significance from the English standpoint, but his being English, of
course, would have a small part in explaining the importance of his prints.Jackson made, in fact, the biggest break in the traditions of the woodcut sincethe 1 6th century. He broadened the scope of the chiaroscuro print and launched
^ The purist's attitude was pungently expressed by Whistler. Pennell records this remark: "Black inkon white paper was good enough for Rembrandt; it ought to be good enough for you." (Joseph Pennell,The Graphic Arts, Chicago, 1921, p. 178.)
^ The only earlier name is that of George Edwards. Oxford University has most of the blocks for adecorated alphabet he engraved on end-grain wood for Dr. Fell in 1674. Further data on Edwards can befound in Harry Carter's Wolvercote Mill, Oxford, 1957, pp. 14, 15, 20, and in Moxon's Mechanic^Exercises, or the Doctrine of Handy Wor\s Applied to the Art of Printing. (Reprint of ist ed., 1683,edited and annotated by Herbert Davis and Harry Carter, Oxford, 1958, p. 26n.)
the color woodcut as a distinct art form that rivaled the polychrome effects ofpainting while retaining a character of its own. These were not modest little piecesof purely technical interest. The set of 24 sheets reproducing 17 paintings by Vene-tian masters made up the most heroic single project in chiaroscuro, and the 6 largelandscapes, completed in 1744, after gouache paintings by Marco Ricci, were themost impressive color woodcuts in the Western world between the i6th centuryand the last decade of the 19th.But Jackson's grand ambition to advance the woodcut beyond all othergraphic media had little public or private support and finally led him to ruin. His
efforts were made with insufficient means and with few patrons. As a consequence,he rarely printed editions after the blocks were cut and proofed. The Venetian setis well known because it was printed in a substantial edition. A few additional
subjects were also sponsored by patrons, but most of Jackson's other chiaroscuroswere never published?they were limited to a few proofs. Editions were post-poned, no doubt, in the hope that a patron would come along to pay expenses inreturn for a formal dedication in Latin, but this did not often happen. Most sub-jects exist in a few copies only; of some, single impressions alone remain. Othershave entirely disappeared.With a large part of Jackson's work unknown, his reputation settled into anuneasy obscurity which, it must be granted, has not prevented his work from being
collected. The chiaroscuros, especially the Venetian prints, can be found in manyleading collections in Europe and the United States, but the full-color sheets afterRicci are excessively rare, particularly in complete sets.Jackson has long been considered an interesting figure. His Essay on the In-vention of Engraving and Printing in Chiaro Oscuro . . .^ with its bold claimsto innovation and merit, his adventurous career as an English woodcutter in Eu-
rope, his adaptation of the color woodcut to wallpaper printing and his pioneering
efforts in diis field, and Papillon's immoderate attack on him in the importantTraite historiqtie et pratique de la gravure en bois * will be discussed later. Forthe moment we can say that the Essay was the first book by an Englishman with
^Jackson, London, 1754. Hereafter cited as Essay. Other references bearing direcdy on Jackson willreceive only partial citation in the text. They are given in full in the bibliography, page 171.
* Papillon, Paris, 1766. Hereafter cited as the Traite.
color plates since the Boo\ of St. Albans of i486, with its heraldic shields in threeor four colors, and the first book with block-princ plates in naturalistic colors/Although critics have been interested in Jackson as an historical figure, theyhave been uncertain about the merit of his work. Opinions vary surprisingly. Mostjudgments were based on the Venetian chiaroscuros and depended upon the qual-ity of impressions, many of which are poor. Criticisms when they have been ad-
verse have been surprisingly harsh. It is unusual, to say the least, for writers to taketime explaining how bad an artist is. To do this implies, in any case, that he war-
rants serious attention ; space in histories is not usually wasted on nonentities. Wecan see now that Jackson was misunderstood because the uses of the woodcutwere rigidly circumscribed by tradition.
Status of the Woodcut
AFTER the 15th century the woodcut lost its primitive power and became a self-
effacing medium for creating facsimile impressions of drawings and for illustratingand decorating books, periodicals, and cheap popular broadsides. At its lowest ebb,in the late 17th century, and in the i8th, it was used to make patterns for workersin embroidery and needlework and to supply outlines for wallpaper designs to befilled in later by "paper-stainers."The prime deficiency of the woodcut as an art form lay in the division oflabor which the process permitted. Draughtsmen usually drew on the blocks; themain function of the cutter was to follow the lines precisely and carefully. Smallroom existed for individual style or original interpretation; there was little in thetechnique to distinguish one cutter from another. In spite of these limitations.
' Occasional book illustrations in two or three colors, confined chiefly to initial letters and orna-mental borders, appeared as early as the 15th century. Ratdolt in 1485 printed astronomical diagrams inred, orange, and black, and used similar colors in a Crucifixion in the Passau missal of 1494. The Liberselectarum cantionum of Senfel, 1520, however, has a frontispiece printed in a broad range of colors frommore than four woodblocks. The design is attributed to Hans Weiditz.
7
gifted cutters could rise beyond the dead level of ordinary practice. As fine draughts-men with a feeling for their materials they did not trace with the knife, they drewand carved with it. Their feeling for line and shape was sensitive, crisp, and supple.But although they created the masterpieces of the medium they suffered from thetraditional contempt for their craft. Creative ability in a woodcutter was rarelyrecognized, and the art fell into gradual decline. By the time the i8th centuryopened it had been almost entirely abandoned as a means of creating and inter-preting works of art, and had been relegated to a minor place among the printprocesses.The attitude of the print connoisseur was clearly stated as early as 1762 byHorace Walpole
:
"
I have said, and for two reasons, shall say little of wooden cuts; that art never wasexecuted in any perfection in England: engraving on metal was a final improve-ment of the art, and supplied the defects of cuttings in wood. The ancient wooden
cuts were certainly carried to a great heighth, but tliat was the merit of the masters,not of the method.William Gilpin in 1768 went even further. Describing the various contempo-rary print processes he omitted the woodcut entirely as not worthy of consideration.He acknowledged that "wooden cuts" were once executed by early artists but madeno additional reference to the medium.'As late as 1844 Maberly' cautioned print amateurs to steer clear of blockprints
:
Prints, from wooden blocks, are much less esteemed, or, at least, are, generally
speaking, of greatly less cost than engravings on copper; and there are connois-
seurs who may, perhaps, consider them as rather derogatory to a fine collection.
Specialized histories of wood engraving, written mainly by 19th-century prac-titioners and bibliophiles, have tended to emphasize literal rendition rather than
artistic vision. The writers favored wood engraving executed with the burin onthe end grain of hard dense wood, such as box or maple, because it could produce
''Walpole, 1765 (isted. 1762), p. 3.
'William Gilpin, An Essay on Prints, London, 1781 (ist ed. 1768), p. 47. "There are tliree kinds ofprints, engravings, etchings, and mezzotintos."
^Maberly, 1844, p. 130.
8
finer details than the old woodcut, which made use of knife and horizontallygrained wood. They judged by narrow craft standards concerned with exact imita-tion of surface textures. Linton, for example, is almost contemptuous in his refer-ences to the chiaroscuro woodcut: ^
. . . The poorest workman may suffice for an excellent chiaroscuro. I do notdepreciate the artistic value as chiaroscuros of the various prints here noted norunderestimate the difficulty of production; but my business has been solely withthe not difficult knifecutting and graver cutting of the same.
The Chiaroscuro Tradition
THE CHIAROSCURO woodcut was originally designed to serve a special pur-pose, to reproduce drawings of the Renaissance period. These were often madewith pen and ink on paper prepared with a tint or with brush and wash tones onwhite or tinted paper. Highlights were made and modeled with brush and whitepigment ; the result had something of a bas-relief character. Neither line engravingnor etching was suited to reproducing these spirited drawings, but the chiaroscurowoodcut could render their effects admirably. Its nature, therefore, was conceived
as fresh and spontaneous, as printed drawing, in fact.Chiaroscuros were usually of two types, the German and the Italian. TheGermans specialized in reproducing line drawings made on toned paper withwhite highlights. The woodcuts, however, could stand by themselves as black-and-white prints ; the tones required separate printing. The typical German chiaroscurowas therefore from two blocks. The earliest dated print in this style is LucasCranach's Venus, with "1506" appearing on the black block. But the brown tint
* Linton, 1889, p. 215. A woodcut in the German manner was far more difficult to manage thanLinton imagined. Bewick tried to imitate the cross-hatched lines of a Diirer woodcut without success.He finally concluded (1925, pp. 205-207) that the old woodcutters had used two blocks, each with linesgoing in opposing directions, and had printed one over the other!
might have been added a few years later. Jost de Negker, working after drawingsby Hans Burgkmair, cut blocks which are dated, on the black block at least, as early
as 1508, and work by Hans Baldung and Hans Wechtlin appeared shortly after.The Italian style originated with Ugo da Carpi, who in 15 16 petitioned theSenate in Venice to grant him exclusive rights to the chiaroscuro process, which heclaimed to have invented. For many years, until Bartsch adduced proof in favor ofthe Germans, da Carpi was conceded to be the founder of this process. His firstwork dates from 15 18 but obviously he produced prints earlier?how much earlieris uncertain. Working mainly after the loose, fresh wash drawings of Raphael andParmigianino he developed a method of reducing their tonal constituents to twoor three simple areas plus a partial outline, each of which was cut on a separateblock. The blocks were then inked with transparent tones and printed one overthe other to achieve gradations. White highlights were imitated, as in the Germanmanner, by cutting out lines on a tone block to let the white paper assert itself. The
result was a broadly treated facsimile of the original drawing. Some liberties wereoccasionally taken in interpretation, and sometimes fanciful changes were made in
color combinations.This technique was followed in Italy during the remainder of the 1500's, themost prominent early workers being Antonio da Trento (Fantuzzi), DomenicoBeccafumi, and Giuseppe Niccolo Vicentino. Late in the century Andrea Andreaniacquired a large number of blocks by previous Italian chiaroscurists and reissuedthem, adding his own monogram. By multiplying these subjects he reduced their
rarity and emphasized their distinct character, their difference from other types ofprints. The Italian term "chiaroscuro," meaning light and dark, has persisted as ageneric name for this class of work.The Italian and German techniques were often pursued in variant styles. TheGermans sometimes used three blocks, with oudines not only in black but in atone and white as well. Burgkmair's Death as a StrangJer (B. 40)'" and Wechtlin'sAlcoji Freeing his Soit from the Serpent (B. 9) are of this type.The Italians, in turn, often used two blocks in the German fashion, repro-ducing a complete crosshatched pen drawing with one tint block. Even da Carpiused this procedure more than occasionally, as in St. John Preaching in the Desert
^^ Adam Bartsch, Le Peintre graveur, Vienna, 1803-1821.
10
after Raphael (B. XII), and in The Harvest after Giulio Romano (B. XII). Mostother Italian chiaroscurists made frequent use of this method which had the virtueof simpHcity. Outstanding exponents included Niccolo Boldrini, who worked
chiefly after drawings by Titian, and in the early 17th century the brothers Barto-lomeo and G. B. Coriolano. Andreani's prints were usually in a more independent
style which employed a clear outline in gray or soft brown with three tints blocks.While technical procedures were identical in Italian and German chiaroscuros
after pen drawings, the Italian work tended to be looser than the German, whichwas more careful and methodical.The Italian style, then, strictly interpreted, was simply the da Carpi style. Lessrigorously considered, it included the free Italian variants of the German process.Hendrick Goltzius of Haarlem, whose first chiaroscuros date from 1588, com-bined both Italian and German influences with marvelously crisp drawing andcutting and sharper color combinations than were common. Paulus Moreelse, aDutch artist in the first half of the 17th century, employed a dark block in clearoutline but modeled his forms internally in the da Carpi manner. The technicalprocedure was therefore close to Andreani's.A number of other well-known artists including Simon Vouet and ChristoffelJegher, and quite a few anonymous ones, also turned out occasional pieces in thefirst half of the 17th century, generally in the manner of da Carpi or Goltzius.Perhaps the most prolific was Ludolph Businck, who created prints in France
especially after drawings by George Lallemand.After this period little was done in the medium until 1721, when Count An-tonio Maria Zanetti in Venice made his first chiaroscuro woodcut. He worked con-
sistently for almost thirty years and sent proofs to his friends in Europe, mostlyimportant connoisseurs, through whom the prints became widely known. For themost part they were in the da Carpi style, to which he added a light charm. Between1722 and 1724 Elisha Kirkall in London published twelve chiaroscuros after Italian
masters. The prints were done in a combination of media?etching and mezzotintwith relief blocks in either wood or metal?and were outside the woodcut tradition,but they attracted attention to the old process. In about 1726 Nicolas and VincentLe Sueur in Paris produced some chiaroscuros, and a year later Jackson made hisfirst example. The Le Sueurs followed da Carpi's method while Jackson used a
II
loosely drawn outline and three tint blocks in a slight variation of the Andreani
style.One characteristic was shared in common by all early chiaroscurists ; theirwork always reproduced drawings, usually in exact size. Jackson added a newdimension to the medium in 1735 by beginning to work after oil paintings." Hisattempt to convey their scale, solidity, and tonal range, while retaining the wood-
cut's breadth of execution, was perhaps carrying the chiaroscuro into complexidesfor which it was not suited. The method called for extraordinary talents in plan-
ning, drawing, cutting, and printing, and it resulted in impressions that could notescape a certain heaviness of effect when compared with traditional work. Jack-
son's prints in this style are both daring and original, but no later woodcutter had
either the desire or the temerity to follow his example. The method remained adead end in chiaroscuro.
^' Andrea Andreani in 1599 published ten plates after cartoons of Mantegna"s nine paintings, TheTriumph of Julius Caesar (B. 11), printed from four blocks in variations of gray. But Mantegna's car-toons were basically drawings in monochrome, and Andreani's fine chiaroscuros did not differ appreciablyfrom the usual examples.
Tailpiece in L'Histoire naturelle klaircie dans une de ses parties principales,I'oryctologie, by D. d'Argenville, De Bure, Paris, 1755. This is one of thecuts Jackson made between 17x5-1730. Actual size.
12
Jackson and His Work
England: Obscure Beginnings
IITTLE is known of Jackson's early years. It is assumed that he was born inEngland about 1700, although many accounts, probably based upon Nag-^ ler, have him born in 1701. Papillon " conjectures that he studied paintingand engraving on wood with "an English painter" named "Ekwits," but is not surehe remembers the name correctly. He believes this artist engraved most of the headpieces and ornaments in Mattaire's Latin Classics, published by J. and R. Tonsonand J. Watts in London, 1713, and remarks on similarities with Jackson's style.Chatto '^ believes these cuts were executed by Elisha Kirkall, interpreting the initialsEK appearing on one of the prints to refer to this engraver rather than to "Ekwits."He goes on to assume that Kirkall also engraved the blocks for Croxall's edition ofAesop's Fables, 1722, by the same publisher, and adds that Jackson was probablyhis apprentice and might have had some share in their execution. Most accounts
of Jackson, taking Chatto's word, note him as a pupil of Kirkall.Linton " believes that only Kirkall or Jackson could have made the cuts, "un-less some Sculptor ignotus is to be credited with that most notable book of graver-work in relief preceding the work of Bewick."But it is doubtful that Jackson was a pupil of Kirkall. For this assumption wehave the evidence of a curious and important little book. An Enquiry into theOrigins of Printing in Europe^^ which because of a misleading tide and an anon-ymous author has been overlooked as a reference source. It is a transcription ofJackson's manuscript journal and was prepared for publication to coincide with
^- Papillon, 1766, vol. i, p. 323. Most probably Papillon confused "Ekwits" with Elisha Kirkall.
^^ Chatto and Jackson, 1861 ( ist ed. 1839), p. 448.
^* Linton, 1889, p. 130.
'^London, 1752. Hereafter cited as the Enquiry. The first half deals with Jackson's opinions on theorigins of printing from movable type and the progress of cutting on wood, the second half with Jack-son's career and his venture into wallpaper manufacturing. The real content of the book was so littleknown that Bigmore and Wyman's comprehensive, annotated Bibliography of Printing, London, 1880-86, vol. I, p. 201, described it as dealing with "certain improvements in printing-types made by Jackson,the typefounder."
14
the launching of the wallpaper venture. Kirlcall is mentioned as follows (pp.25-26)
:
... I shall give a brief account of the State of Cutting on Wood in England forthe type Press before he [Jackson] went to France La 1725. In the beginning of thisCentury a remarkable Blow was given to all Cutters on Wood, by an invention ofengraving on the same sort of Metal which types are cast with. The celebrated Mr.Kirl{hal, an able Engraver on Copper, is said to be the first who performed aRelievo Work to answer the use of Cutting on Wood. This could be dispatchedmuch sooner, and consequently answered the purpose of Book-sellers and Printers,who purchased these sort of Works at a much chaper [sic] Rate than could beexpected from an Engraver on Wood . . .
It does not seem reasonable that Jackson would learn the art of woodcuttingfrom Kirkall and then refer to him as a famous engraver on copper and type
metal. It is just as difficult to believe that Kirkall taught Jackson to work on metal,not wood.The "EK" who engraved the blocks for Mattaire's Latin Classics might very
well have been Kirkall, whose style also might have had something in commonwith Jackson's early work. But this would not necessarily indicate a definite influ-
ence. English pictorial reUef prints for book illustration in the first decades of the
1 8th century had one characteristic in common; they were almost all done withthe engraver's burin on type metal or end-grain boxwood. They therefore showedelements of a "white-line" style as opposed to the black-line or knife-cut methodcommonly used in other countries. While it is likely that Jackson was an exceptionto the general rule in England (we have his word for it in the Enquiry, as we shall
see), he was also deeply influenced by the prevailing English style of burin workon wood or type metal. If Papillon saw a similarity between Jackson's cuts andthose in the Latin Classics, it might have been because he was unfamiliar with otherexamples of EngUsh work and did not recognize a national style.The initials "J. B. I." appear on a small cut in the 1717 edition of Dryden'splays, also published by Tonson. If this is an early piece by Jackson it would indi-
cate that he might have been born earlier than 1701, although it is conceivable thathe could have made it when he was sixteen.This is the extent of the evidence, or rather lack of evidence, of Jackson's
early years in England. Nothing is certain except that woodblock work was at a
15
particularly low ebb. Standards in typography and printing were rude (Caslonwas just beginning his career), far inferior to those on the Continent. Cuts wereused rather sparingly by printers, and almost always for initial letters (these in-cluded little pictures), for tailpieces, and for decorative borders. As a measure ofeconomy the same cut was often repeated throughout a book. Also, initial letterswere sometimes contrived to permit the type for different capitals to be inserted inthe center area, so that in some instances no more than two cuts were needed tobegin alternate chapters in a volume. Rarely were woodblocks employed to illus-trate the text. Pictures were almost always supplied by the copper-plate engraver,even when the prints were small and surrounded with typographical matter. Thiswas an expensive and troublesome procedure, but it was the only one possiblewhere an able group of cutters or engravers on wood did not exist and whereprinters found it diflBcult to achieve good impressions on the uneven laid paper ofthe time.The main employment for knife cutters on wood was in making the popularprints, or illustrated broadsides, which had been sold in city and village throughoutthe country since the early i6oo's. Plank and knife could be used for these printsbecause of the generally large size of the pictures and the lack of sophistication ofthe audience. They are described by Bewick from his memories as a boy in the1760's:"
I cannot, however, help lamenting that, in all the vicissitudes which the art ofwood engraving has undergone, some species of it are lost and done away: I meanthe large blocks with the prints from them, so common to be seen, when I was aboy, in every cottage and farm house diroughout the country. These blocks, I sup-pose, from their size, must have been cut on the plank way on beech, or some otherkind of close-grained wood; and from the immense number of impressions fromthem, so cheaply and extensively spread over the whole country, must have givenemployment to a great number of artists, in this inferior department of woodcut-ting . . . These prints, which were sold at a very low price, were commonly Illus-trative of some memorable exploits, or were, perhaps, the portraits of eminent men
. . . Besides these, there were a great variety of other designs, often with songsadded to them of a moral, a patriotic, or a rural tendency, which served to enliven
^^ Bewick, 1925 (ist ed. London, 1862), pp. 211-212.
16
the circle in which they were admired. To enumerate the great variety o? thesepictures would be a task.Bewick adds that some of these popular woodcuts, akhough not the greatmajority, were very good. Since this was the main field for woodcutters, it is aninteresting conjecture that Jackson might have been trained for this craft. As hematured, we can assume that he felt the urge to excel as a woodcutter and left thecountry to develop his potentialities.It must be remembered that in painting and engraving England was far be-hind the continental countries, which could boast of centuries of celebrated masters.The medieval period persisted in England until the time of Henry VIII. Tradi-tional religious subjects, so indispensable to European art, were thereafter gener-
ally proscribed. There was no fondness as yet for themes of classical mythology,and the new and developing national tradition in painting had to form itself onthe only remaining field of pictorial expression, portraiture. Standards of style were
set by foreign artists who were lured to England to record its prominent person-ages in a fitting manner. Beside such masters as Holbein, Zuccaro, Moro, Geeraerts,Van Dyck, Mytens, Lely, Kneller, Zoffany, and Van Loo, among others, nativepainters seemed crude and provincial. The list of foreign artists other than por-traitists who visited England before 1750 for varying periods is also impressive.If good native painters were rare in the first decades of the i8th century, goodengravers or woodcutters were even rarer. Hogarth, whose earliest prints wereproduced in die 1720's, received his training from a silversmith.Jackson's next move was toward the Continent.
Paris: Perfection of a Craft
JACKSON arrived in Paris in 1725, his age 24 if we accept 1701 as his birth date.Here flourished a brilliant community of artists, craftsmen, dealers, and connois-
seurs; woodcutting, etching, and line engraving were highly developed and theprinting oflfices made extensive use of woodcuts for decoration and illustration. The
17
woodcut tradition mimicked line engraving and was confined chiefly to tiny blockswrought with the utmost delicacy. The main influence came from the 17th cen-tury? in particular from the etchings and line engravings of Sebastien Le Clerc andfrom the etchings of Jacques Callot, whose simple system of swelling parallel lines,with occasional cross-hatchings, was adopted by both line engravers and wood-
cutters.Le Clerc, whose style was influenced by Callot, had produced a vast number ofillustrations involving subjects of almost every type; his designs, therefore, wereready-made for publishers who wanted good but low-priced illustrations. Wood-
cutters copied his engravings shamelessly, line for line. The overblown highBaroque style in ornament, swag, and cartouche was also drawn upon as a sourcefor decorative cuts. In an attempt to imitate the full tonal scale of engraving, thewoodcutters used heavier lines in the foreground to detach the main figures fromthe background, which was made up of more delicate lines. Background lineswere often narrowed further by scraping down their edges, an operation thatcaused them to merge imperceptibly into the white paper. In this way, althoughthe natural vigor of the woodcut suffered, an effect of space and distance wasachieved. Because of the small scale this technique was difficult, especially whencross-hatching was added, and special knives as well as a phenomenal deftness wereneeded to work out these bits of jewelry on the plank grain of pear, cherry, box,and serviceberry wood.Jackson's initial impression of the state of woodcutting in France is describedin the Enquiry (p. 27)
:
From this Account it is evident that there vi^as Uttle Encouragement to be hopedfor in England to a Person whose Genius led him to prosecute his Studies in theancient Manner; which obliged Mr. Jacl{son to go over to the Continent, and seewhat was used in the Parisian Printing-houses. At his arrival there he found theFrench Engravers on Wood working in the old Manner; no Metal Engravers, orany of the same Performance on the end of the V/ood, was ever used or counte-nanced by the Printers or Booksellers in that City. He tells us that he thought him-
self a tolerable good Ha.nd when he came to Paris, but far inferior to the Perform-ances of Monsieurs Vincent le Seur and ]ean M. Pappillon . . .Jackson admits benefiting from the friendship and advice of these wood-
cutters, then goes on to describe their work with a ruthless frankness. Le Sueur, he
18
says, was a brilliant copyist of the line engravings of Sebastien Le Clerc but, be-cause he was a line-for-line copyist, lacked skill in drawing. Papillon's father, also
a woodcutter who copied LeClerc, avoided cross-hatching, which Jackson consid-ered an essential ingredient of the true style of black-and-white woodcutting;Papillon himself, while described as a draughtsman of the utmost accuracy, was
criticized for making his work so minute that it was impossible to print clearly.Jackson says in the Enquiry (pp. 29-30)
:
If his Father neglected Cross Hatching, the Son affected to outstrip the le Seurs inthis difficult Performance, and even the ancient Venetians, believing to have fixed
a Non plus ultra in our Times to any future Attempts with Engraving on Wood.
... I saw the Almanack ^^ in a horrid Condition before I left Paris, the Signs
of the Zodiack wore like a Blotch, notwithstanding die utmost Care and Diligencethe Printer used to take up very little Ink to keep them clean. I have chosen tomake mention of these two Frenchmen as the only Persons in my time keeping upto the Stile of the ancient Engraving on Wood; and as they favoured me withtheir Friendship and Advice during my abode in Paris, I thought in Justice totheir good Nature it was proper to give some Account of their Merit!Acknowledgment of friendship and merit in this vein, while entirely true(Papillon was minute to the point of exhibitionism, and his cuts were often notadapted to clear printing), demonstrates the lack of tact that made powerful en-emies for Jackson wherever he traveled. Papillon no doubt read the Enquiry, inwhich he was discussed at length, and the well-known Essay, with its aggressivetone and irresponsible claims. When Papillon's Traite came out in 1766 he took theopportunity to put the English artist in his place. Certainly his account was coloredby Jackson's writings; there is no other explanation for this display of personalbitterness in a work published t^6 years after the Englishman left Paris (pp.327-328):
J. Jackson, an Englishman who lived in Paris for a few years, might have perfectedhimself in wood engraving, which he had learned, as I said previously on page 323,from an English painter, if he had been willing to follow my advice. As soon ashe arrived in Paris he came to me asking for work; I gave him some things toexecute for a few months in order to allow him to live, for which he repaid mewith ingratitude by making a duplicate of a floral ornament of my design whichhe offered, before delivering the block to me, to the person for whom it was to be
^' The Petit almanack de Paris, founded by J. M. Papillon in 1727 and illustrated with his woodcuts.
19
made. From the reproaches I received when the matter was discovered, I refused,
naturally, to employ him further. Then he went the rounds of the printing housesin Paris, and was forced to offer his work ready-made and without order, almostfor nothing, and many printers, profiting by his distress, supplied themselves amplywith his cuts. He had acquired a certain insipid and limited taste, little above themosaics on snuffboxes, similar to other mediocre engravers, with which he sur-charged his works. His mosaics, however delicately engraved, are always lackingin effect, and show the engraver's patience and not his talent; for the remainder ofthe cut has only delicate lines without tints or gradations of light and shade, andlack the contrast necessary to make a striking effect. Engravings of this sort, how-ever deficient in this regard, are admired by printers of vulgar taste who foolishlybelieve that they closely resemble copper plate engraving, and that they give betterimpressions than those of a picturesque type having a greater variety of tints.Jackson, having been forced by poverty to leave Paris, where he could findnothing further to do, traveled in France; then, disgusted witli his art, he followeda painter to Rome, after which he went to Venice, where, I am told, he married,and then returned to England, his native country.Whether or not Jackson was unethical he was certainly an active competitorand many printers "supplied themselves amply with his cuts." He must have pro-duced an enormous amount of work during his five years in Paris because JohnSmith, in his Printers Grammar,^" says that Jackson's cuts were used so widely andfor so many years in Paris that they replaced the fashion of using "flowers," ortypographical ornaments, and that this style did not come into vogue again untilthe cuts were completely worn down through use.This statement is not entirely true, but it is probable that Jackson's woodcuts,more broadly executed than the typical French products, outlasted all others ofthe 1725-30 period. They were consistently re-used, and appeared, as far as theycan be traced, well into the 1780's."Elsewhere in the Traite, however, Papillon has a good word for Jackson's
abilities
:
'"
Jackson, of whom I have already spoken, also engraved in chiaroscuro; I have
a little landscape by him which is very nicely done.
''Smith, 1755, p. 136.
'*See cuts in Dissertatiumeula quodlibetariis disputatlonibus of C. L. BerthoUet, Paris, 1780, andVoyage liiteraire de la Grece, of de Guys, 1783.
-" P. 415. This may be the print formerly in Dresden but lost during the war.
20
It was inevitable that Papillon and Jackson should clash. The Frenchman'snotion of woodcutting was influenced, as we have seen, by copper plate engraving;he wanted, by incredible minuteness of cutting, to achieve approximately the same
results. This was in keeping with the delicate French rocaille tradition on whichPapillon was nurtured; to him any other contemporary style of book decorationwas evidence of bad taste. Jackson, on his part, felt that this approach violated the
essentially broad, vigorous nature of the woodcut and, in addition, made excessivedemands on the printer. Since this impoverished beginner, and an Englishman atthat, refused to take his earnest advice or to fall into the prevailing style, Papillon
Headpiece by J. M. Papillon for his Traite historique et pratiquede la gravure en bois, Paris, 1766, vol. 3. This is an example of Pa-pillon's minute style, against vv'hich Jackson rebelled. Actual size.
was enraged. After all, Jackson was working as an employee. But Papillon was not
entirely blind. In a number of places in the Traite he made reference to otherwoodcutters who were working in Jackson's style, and he recorded some of theworks the Englishman illustrated during his five years in Paris.Jackson's blossoming out as a maker of wallpaper after his return to Englandand his brash claims in this connection in the Essay, must also have irked Papillon,who knew the field as an expert; his father in 1688 had set up the first large print-ing house in France for wall hangings, and after his death in 1723 Papillon hadinherited it. In 1740, he sold the business to the widow Langlois, but he had runthe shop during Jackson's residence in Paris and his former employee no doubthad learned a great deal by observing its operation. Yet here more than twentyyears later was the upstart Englishman again, venturing into wallpaper manufac-turing with an air of moral superiority, attacking all other products as unworthy.Jackson's ridiculing of the Chinese style must have been particularly galling since
21
Papillon and his father had speciaUzed in producing such papers. These weremuch better than comparable EngUsh work, but Jackson, confining himself toEnglish products, had attacked tlie whole style without making distinctions.According to the Enquiry (pages 32-55 of this book will be drawn upon forthe ensuing details of Jackson's career), M. Annison, Director of the ImprimerleRoyale, for whom Jackson produced many cuts, introduced him to Count deCaylus, collector, connoisseur, etcher, and the leading spirit in French engraving atthe time. De Caylus had, in 1725, undertaken to direct the reproduction of draw-ings and paintings in the best French collections." Pierre Crozat, the famous
collector, sponsored the publication of this ambitious work.The drawings were reproduced in chiaroscuro while the paintings were ren-dered in black-and-white by a corps of engravers. The chiaroscuros were made bycombining an etched outline, usually by de Caylus or P. P. A. Robert, with super-imposed tones, mainly in green or buff, from one or two woodblocks cut in most
cases by Nicolas Le Sueur, or under his direction. This was not a new printingmethod. Hubert (not Hendrick) Goltzius had first employed it in a set of Romanemperors after antique medallions in 1557." To reproduce drawings by Raphael,Parmigianino, and himself, Abraham Bloemart, as well as Frederick and Cor-nehus Bloemart in the early i6oo's, had used this combination extensively, and asdescribed earlier, p. 11, Kirkall had used it between 1722 and 1724."^ The com-bination method produced rather feeble prints that lacked the vigor of straightwoodblock chiaroscuro. The etched outline was thin and ineffective, and the tintswere pallid so as not to overpower the drawing. Only Abraham Bloemart's printsin this style were convincing, although Kirkall's chiaroscuros, in their soft, over-modeled way, had individuality. But the Cabinet Crozat lacked distinction en-tirely. The chiaroscuros had a mechanical look, a fact not surprising when weremember that they were produced by a team of engravers?assembled, as it were,
^^ Recueil d'estampes d'apres les plus beaux tableaux et d'apnes les plus beaux dessins qui sonten France dans le cabinet du Roy, dans celtti de M. le Due d'Orleans et dans d'autres cabinets, divisisuivant les di-fferentes ecoles. Paris, 1729-42, 2 vols., 182 plates. Often called the Cabinet Crozat, it wasreprinted by Basan in 1763 with aquatint tones by Francois Charpentier replacing the woodblock tints.
^- Imperatonim imagines, Antwerp, 1557. The woodblocks were cut by Josse Geitleugen.
*^In the Enquiry (p. 31) Jackson asserts that Kirkall's tints were made from copper plates, notwoodblocks.
22
from several hands working in different media. The best prints were a fewchiaroscuros made entirely from woodblocks by Nicolas Le Sueur, although thesewere also rather tepid, no doubt to harmonize with the rest of die work.Jackson tells us that he worked on some tint blocks, first from a drawing byGiulio Romano and later from a drawing by Raphael, Christ Giving the Keys toSt. Peter, the original modello for one of the famous tapestry cartoons. Countde Caylus, he says, liked the work and wanted to employ him further on the proj-
ect, but Crozat rejected him flatly. De Caylus, according to Jackson, was embar-
rassed and distressed and offered recompense for the lost time and labor, but Jack-son, not to be outdone in generosity by a nobleman, refused, explaining that thehonor of knowing the Count and receiving his approbation more than made up forhis lost effort.Vincent Le Sueur objected to the combination method and withdrew earlyfrom the project. Possibly Jackson, who also dishked this method and was notknown for his discretion, was considered by Crozat to be a disruptive element.Possibly his style of cutting was not retiring enough for Crozat's tasteful Frenchnotion of chiaroscuro. This project, in any case, aroused the Englishman's interestin the process. Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, after Raphael, made about 1727,was probably Jackson's first chiaroscuro woodcut. No doubt he produced it on hisown and offered it as a plate for the publication, perhaps at the time he was com-missioned to cut the tint blocks to be used in combination with de Caylus' etchingof this subject.With both Papillon and the powerful Crozat against him, Jackson was fin-ished in Paris. De Caylus urged him to go to Italy. Accordingly, in April 1730, heleft Paris in the company of John Lewis, an English painter, and set out forRome, where he expected to continue his studies in drawing and deepen hisknowledge of art.Jackson's style was still being formed during his Paris period. Confined forthe most part to initial letters, headbands, and tailpieces, his work differed fromcontemporary French cuts only in its technical handling, which was firmer andbroader. Little of a more creative nature came his way, and the Paris stay thereforeserved as a useful interim during which he became adept in his craft. The necessityfor keeping himself alive by cutting on wood developed his powers of invention
23
and his facility: he became a remarkably rapid and skillful cutter. Jackson gath-ered strength in Paris, but it was in Venice that he really came to maturity as an
artist.
Tailpiece in Histoire generate de Languedoc, by Claude Vic and J. J. Vaissete, Paris,1730, vol. I. Note the even tone and clean cutting compared with Papillon'slight-and-dark contrasts and dainty cutting. Actual size.
24
Venice: The Heroic Effort
AFTER leaving Paris, Jackson and Lewis journeyed to Marseilles, where Jacksonbecame seriously ill and remained for six months, while Lewis continued to Genoa.Regaining his health, Jackson went on to Genoa and then to Leghorn, Pisa, andLucca, arriving in Florence in January 1731. There, during a stay of several months,he discussed with the Grand Duke of Tuscany a reprinting of Vasari's Lives of thePainters. Jackson was to make cuts for the headpieces, but the project was eventu-
ally dropped, and he continued to Bologna, where he remained a month chiefly inthe company of the woodcutter G. M. Moretti, who showed him some originalblocks cut by Ugo da Carpi for printing in chiaroscuro. He then proceeded toVenice, arriving "three Days before the Feast of the Ascension in 173 1, and washighly surprized to find no one Engraver on Wood capable to do such poor Work,he has seen at Bolonia." Jackson was amply supplied with strong recommenda-tions from Florence, and on showing his work to leading printers was urged to
settle in Venice, where a fine woodcutter capable of both designing and executing
cuts was urgently needed. Here he also met Count Antonio Maria Zanetti, whowas well-known as a chiaroscuro woodcutter besides being a collector and patron
of the arts. Their first meeting is described in the Enquiry:
. . . very soon after his [Jackson's] Arrival he had an Interview with Signior An-tonio Maria Zannetti; from the Accounts he had heard from Mr. Marriette inFrance of this Man's Work in Chiaro Oscuro, he expected to see some wonderfulPerformance, but Parturiunt monies nascetur ridiculus mus is a most applicableProverb on this Occasion. I who have perused this grand Raccolta of Zannetti's,must acknowledge that they are a trifling Performance, inferior to any Attemptsof this Kind in our Times; and indeed it is no Wonder, when we come to knowthat this Man never used a Press, nor so much as a Hand Roll to print his Workswith. Our Countryman says he had room to suspect he neither did cut or printthese Works, which was confirmed by the poor Men who performed both. Butsuch was the Vanity of this Author, that he told the Public in his Dedications thathe was the Restorer of that lost Art, whereas he only drawed them on the Blocks,
25
which might have been done as well by those tliat cut and printed them. At thisfirst Interview the low Cunning of this Man was discovered . . J'*Jackson undoubtedly disliked Zanetti's soft and delicate treatment, so char-
acteristic of 18th-century work, and considered his interpretation of Parmigianinoand Raphael little short of sacrilege. Since Jackson was incapable of hiding his feel-ings a quarrel became inevitable. The first rift came when Zanetti let Jackson havefor a few weeks a drawing by Parmigianino, the Venus and Cupid with a Bow, tobe executed in four blocks. The print was done "intirely in Hugo's [da Carpi's]manner, with this Difference, that no Oscuro block has a Contour to resemble the
original Drawing it was done from, which is seldom seen in Hugo's works . . . ."Zanetti, surprised by the fine quality of the first proof, proposed to pass it off onMariette in Paris as an original da Carpi print. He even stained it and cut holes in itto give the impression of aged worm-eaten paper. At the same time Jackson exe-cuted another chiaroscuro, also based on a Parmigianino drawing, the WomanStanding Holding far on her Head. Zanetti, says the Enquiry?
. . . caressed the Author with the highest Expressions of Zeal for his Service, pro-testing he would communicate his Capacity to his Correspondents all over Europe,which would be the Means to advance his Fortune, especially amongst the E?}glishQuality and Gentry who travelled Italy. The intent of all those fine Promises wasto get the two Sets of Blocks into his Hands, which he expected as a Present forthe Use of the two original Drawings, from which these Prints were taken ; but thisnot being complyed with, the Restaurati expressed a Resentment at this Refusal,and took all the Opportunities to distress the Undertakings of any Sort performedby Mr. ]acl{son, during fourteen Years Residence in Venice.
Zanetti was charged, in some obscure way, with obstructing Jackson's workin cutting 136 blocks for th^ Istoria del Testatnetito Vecchio e Nuovo, popularlyknown as the Bibbia del Nicolosi^ published by G. B. Albrizzi in 1737. We areinformed that Filippo Farsetti, one of Jackson's patrons, paid him for the whole
set of cuts after rebuking Zanetti for interference.
" Zanetti certainly cut many of his own blocks, as the prints with the signature "A. M. Zanetti,sculp." attest. But he also made use of craftsmen in the traditional fashion for other blocks and for themechanical phase of printing.
'"These cuts were also used for the Biblia Sacra, published by Hertz in Venice in 1740.
26
The Englishman evidently was kept well occupied with preparing cuts forprinters, among them Baglioni and Pezzana. For the latter he made 24 woodcutsfor a quarto edition of a Biblia Sacra and an unspecified number of ornaments for
a folio edition. Jackson was given a free hand to conceive and carry out the cuts
as he pleased.While working on these prints he began
?
to consider on his favourite Work in Chiaro Oscuro, and by intervals examinedwhat he had projected at Paris. He began first to make experiments with Tints,and having proved that Four Impressions could produce Ten positive Tints, be-
sides Tratti and Lights; he resolved to try a large Piece from Rubens's Judgment ofSolomon, with an intent to prove what could be done with the Efforts of a TypePress before he launched into greater Expences with another Machine.He wanted this press in his home, where he could experiment as he pleased with-out tying up workmen or equipment in Pezzana's shop. It might have been pro-fessional delicacy that prompted him to ask Pezzana's permission to have a privatepress built, or it might have been a bid for patronage from the generous and influ-
ential printer. In any event, Pezzana responded by having his carpenters build andinstall the press at his own expense. To avoid official registrations or craft suspicions,he had it registered as his own. The trial proofs of The Judgment of Solomon,printed from four blocks, pleased Jackson in every regard except vigor of impression.Unfortunately no edidon was published, despite the dedication to Filippo Farsetti.Finished in 1735, this woodcut was probably the first to translate a paintingin a full range of tones. From the purely technical standpoint it was an incredibleachievement. Jackson created a vivid approximation of a large and complex paint-ing and at the same time produced a vigorous woodcut. From four superimposed
woodblocks, with almost no linework, he was able to capture the full-bloodedforms of Rubens. By keeping his means simple Jackson asserted the importance
of his cutting and printing, the expressiveness of his drawing, and the fluidity ofhis tones. Obviously such a procedure required major decisions as to what to omitand what to stress ; in other words it required interpretive abilities of a high order.Evidently Jackson believed that his new chiaroscuro method required heavierpressure than the platen press was capable of. (On the usual wooden screw press
27
the size of the platen never exceeded 13 by ig inches, because the impressions madewith a larger platen would not have been strong enough ; for prints larger than theplaten, the bed was moved and the platen pulled down twice.) He had the pressreturned to Pezzana and set out to build a more suitable printing machine.He found there were other means to beemployed beside a Type Press, and hav-ing examined the Theory of his Inven-tion put it in Practice, by erecting aRolling Press of another Constructionthan what is used for printing CopperPlates.In Paris Jackson had suggestedusing a cylinder press for printingwood blocks. The gentlemen towhom the suggestion was made.Count de Caylus, Coypel, and Mari-
ette, were sure that the enormouspressure would split the blocks. TheEnglishman, on the contrary, feltthat the pressure, properly controlledby a chase, would hold the blockstogether. Printing would be muchmore rapid and the exceptional vigorof the impression would suggest a hand drawing. The use of cylinder pressesfor chiaroscuro printing was already well known to experts. George Lallemandand Ludolph Businck, sometime between 1623 and 1640, had used not one buta series of six cylinders on three joined presses, with three printers simultane-ously inking separate blocks with different tones. Impressions were then printedfrom each block in succession. Papillon"" described this press, and also anotherwith a special chase designed at an unspecified date by Nicolas Le Sueur. Jack-son's prints show a much stronger impression than those of Businck or Le Sueur.No details of his press are known, although Thomas Bewick" reported thatJackson as an old man had shown him a drawing of its construction.
Illustration in Biblia Sacra publishedby Hertz, Venice, 1740, vol. i. Origi-nally cut byJackson for Albrizzi's Istoriadel Testatnento Vecchio e Nuovo, Venice,1737. Actual size.
'^ Papillon, vol. 2, 1766, pp. 372-373. "Bewick, 1925, p. 213.
28
The cylinder press of Jackson's design was finished in 1735 and paid forby the income from prolonged sieges of work for printing offices. But the over-work and resulting exhaustion laid him low; a serious illness followed and for
several months he was close to death. When he eventually regained his health hefound that his cuts for Baglioni and Pezzana had been copied and mutilated byan engraver at Ancona. This piratewas encouraged by the head of alarge printing establishment newlyfounded in Venice, who thereuponoffered Jackson work at greatly re-duced prices. He refused the of^er.With hack woodcutters now stealingboth his designs and his manner of
cutting, and working at a far lower
rate than he could afford, he foundthat the market for his higher pricedwork had almost entirely disap-peared. He still received occasional
commissions, among others the titlepage to a translation of Suetonius'
Litres of the Twelve Caesars, printedby Piacentini in Venice in 1738. His
splendid design, which shows considerable burin work, is at odds with the crudity
of the remainder of the book. Inferior hands reproduced in woodcut outlineHubert Goltzius' medallion portraits of Roman emperors, originally executedin chiaroscuro (see p. 22). Stimulated, no doubt, by the combination of chia-roscuro and antiquity, Jackson produced a portrait of Julius Caesar in four tones
of brown after Egidius Sadeler's engraving of a subsequently lost painting at-tributed to Titian. This was not the only time Jackson translated a line engrav-ing and added chiaroscuro modeling of his own. He did not make line-for-line
copies. Jackson was interested in broad effects even when leaning heavily on thedelicate linear conventions of line engraving. The lines, therefore, are firm and
Illustration for Albrizzi's Istoria, inwhich it was cut No. 136. From Hertz'sBiblia Sacra, vol. i. Actual size.
29
widely spaced, like photographically enlarged details of copper-plate work. Ap-parently Jackson felt that the addition of one or two tones from wood blockswould supply the intermediate tints and at the same time would prevent the linesystem from becoming obtrusive.The decided influence of line engraving was probably the result of his asso-
ciation in 1 73 1 with G. A. Faldoni in Venice. Influenced by Claude Mellan, thisengraver made use of swelling parallel lines to create tonal gradations. Jacksonhad first become interested in this technical method through Ecman's woodcuts
after Callot, and once Faldoni had strengthened the attraction he found kindredinfluences in the engravings of Villamena and Alberti, particularly the former,from whom he also acquired design ideas he later put to use in his wallpapers.Jackson's discovery that he could to some extent use copper-plate techniques wasnot a reversion to the style of the Parisian group of Le Clerc copyists. Jackson usedthe line system as a means for creating forms in conjunction with tones; theParisian woodcutters used it to imitate the delicate quality of line engraving. Hehad a formal aesthetic end in view ; their purpose was to render realistic details in
a decorative framework.With opportunities for book illustration gone, Jackson was in a difficult posi-tion. His novel chiaroscuro experiments had consumed valuable time and had losthim his standing as a steady worker for printers. Near destitution and scoutingaround for fresh applications of the woodcut, he decided to make prints for wall-paper on his new press. It was a logical step for Jackson, not only because he knewsomething of the process but also because he could make use of the chiaroscuroblocks already prepared. Late in 1737 or early in 1738 he had his first samplesready and sent them to Robert Dunbar in London, together with his conditionsfor carrying on the trade in Venice. Negotiations dragged, and Dunbar died beforethey could come to terms, but the idea of using his skill and his machine for turn-ing out wallpaper continued to occupy his mind as a possibility. But, for the time,the undertaking had to be laid aside while Jackson looked for more immediatemeans of employment.At this juncture Joseph Smith befriended him. A merchant of long standingin Venice, who became the British consul there in 1745, Smith was a bibliophile,30
gem collector, and connoisseur of the arts. In spite of Walpole's sneering referenceto him as "the merchant of Venice," it must be said that he was expert in his fields
of interest. He had excellent taste. His fine collection of books was purchased byGeorge III in 1765, and the small Rembrandt Descent from the Cross once in hispossession is now in the National Gallery in London.From Smith's bronze statuette of Neptune, by Giovanni da Bologna, Jacksonproduced a chiaroscuro print in four blocks, in imitation, he asserted, of the prints
of Andrea Andreani.^' In suggesting the influence of this master, Jackson did
not refer to his technique or style but to his subject: in 1584-1585 Andreanihad produced a chiaroscuro series after other statues by Giovanni da Bologna(B. XII, VI, 1-4).The next work in Smith's collection to be reproduced in chiaroscuro wasRembrandt's Descent from the Cross. Jackson was evidently well satisfied with the
results, and with good reason. It is an extremely effective print, with pale yellowlights and transparent shadows. The drawing is remarkable in its feeling for theRembrandtesque style. The sky and other parts show English white-line burinwork of the type found in Mattaire's Latin Classics and Croxall's Aesop's Fables.The Enquiry says (p. 45):As this Painting was extremely favourable for this sort of Printing, he endeavouredto display all his Art in this Performance, and the Drawing of Rembratidt's Stileis intirely preserved in this Print; it is dedicated to Mr. Smith, who generouslygave the Prints to all Gentlemen who came to Venice at that time in order to rec-ommend the Talents of a Man whose Industry might please the curious, and atleast be of some Use to procure him Encouragement to proceed in other Works
of that Kind.
Encouragement soon came. Smith interested two of his friends, Charles Fred-
erick and Smart LethieuUier, and the three proposed in 1739 the undertaking of agrand project in chiaroscuro, the reproduction of 17 huge paintings by Venetian
masters. This was to be financed by subscription, says the Enquiry (p. 46)
:
^' The Neptune was printed on a type press. One of the blocks split in printing and Jackson statedthat thereafter he used the cylinder press exclusively.
31
the Proposals in French, and the Conditions expressed therein, were drawn up asthey thought proper, without consulting the Difficulties that must attend an Enter-prize that required some years to accomplish.
Their own subscriptions were no doubt generous but Jackson found that histotal income from this form of financing, together with possible future sales, wouldhardly cover his expenses. Other hazards made his situation even worse. Warbroke out in Europe before he was halfway through, and many English gentle-men, his potential subscribers, left the country. This exodus meant financial dis-
aster, but Jackson kept at his task. He should, he said, have gone to England forhis own best interests but felt that he couldn't disappoint his distinguished patrons.The first print completed was after Titian's St. Peter Martyr at the DominicanChurch of Sts. Giovanni and Paolo. In coloring it is similar to the Rembrandtprint, with gray-green sky, yellow lights, and cool brown shadows. While attrac-tive and forceful, it is not as effective as the Rembrandt because Tidan, with hisgreater range of color, presented a more complex problem. Most of the printsthereafter leaned to monochromes in either browns or greens. The St. Peter wasfinished in 1739 and in the same year five more prints were brought to completion.In 1740 he produced the three sheets which made up Tintoretto's Crucifixionin the Scuola di San Rocco."^ These were intended to be joined, if desired, to formone long print measuring about 22 x 50 inches.Of the ten remaining subjects, the last, Jacopo Bassano's Dives and Lazarus,was finished at the end of 1743, and the set of 24 plates (some paindngs, as noted,were reproduced in three sheets and some in two) was published as a bound vol-ume by J. B. Pasquali in Venice, 1745, under the title Titiani Vecelii, Pauli Caliarii,]acobi Robusti et facobi de Ponte; opera selectiora a Joanne Baptista ]ac\son,Anglo, ligno coelata et coJoribus adumbrata.
-^ Jackson mentioned that he was seen drawing the blocks in the presence of Sir Roger Newdigate,Sir Bouchier Wrey "and other gentlemen of distinction." The reason for such reference was probablysome comment that he might have traced his oudines from Agostino Carracci's 15S2 engraving of thesame subject in three large sheets (B. 23), each of which joins the others at precisely the same places asJackson's sheets. I am indebted to Dr. Jakob Rosenberg of the Fogg Museum for pointing out these
similarities.
32
The Venetian prints were not merely an extension of chiaroscuro, they repre-
sented a daring effort to go beyond Hne engraving for reproducing paintings.Justification for this attempt is given in the Essay (p. 6)
:
. . . and though those deUcate Finishings, and minute Strokes, which makeup great Part of the Merit of engraving on Copper, are not to be found in those cuton Wood in Chiaro Osctiro; yet there is a masterly and free Drawing, a boldness
of Engraving and Relief, v/hich pleases a true Taste more than all tlie litde Exact-
ness found in the Engravings on Copper Plates . . . and indeed has an Effectwhich the best Judges very often prefer to any Prints from Engravings, done with
all that Exactness, minute Strokes of the Graver, and Neatness of Work, which is
sure to captivate the Minds of those whose Taste is formed upon the little Consid-
erations of delicately handling the Tools, and not upon the Freedom, Life andSpirit of the separate Figures, and indeed the whole Composidon.A novel device, embossing, was employed to give added strength to the prints.This development had been foreshadowed by earlier prints and pages of text whichshowed a slight indentation where the dampened paper received the impression.Embossing had probably first been used systematically by Elisha Kirkall in 1722-24, and by Arthur Pond in his chiaroscuros, made in 1732-36 in conjunction withGeorge Knapton, after drawings by old masters. Jackson admhed Pond's workeven though it combined etched outlines with two tone blocks printed from wood.^?Pond's embossing was delicate and applied sparely only in certain forms, such as
ruined columns, but Jackson's sunken areas were heavier and franker, consciouslyintended to give an all-over effect. Since the paper could not be pressed out with-out weakening the embossing, it often took on the scarred and buckled look that
characterizes the Venetian chiaroscuros.The set had occupied him for 4^/2 years, during which he had planned, cut,and proofed 94 blocks.No sooner was that ended, and a little Breathing required after that immenseFatigue, in the Year 1744 he attempted to print in Colours, and published sixLandskips in Imitation of Painting in Acquarello.
'"Enquiry, p. 35. The Japanese began to use embossing about 1730. See Reichel, 1926, p. 48.
33
Title Page for Gajo Suetonio trajiquillo, le vite de'dodici Cesari, Piacentini,Venice, 1738.
This new set, dedicated to Robert d'Arcy, British Ambassador to the RepubHc
of Venice, was based on gouache paintings by Marco Ricci, probably done on goat-skin or leather in his usual manner. For Jackson to make these color prints was a logi-
cal step, since his work had tended toward the full chromatic range even in the chia-
roscuros, which "adumbrated" color. His new prints were all color?clear, sensidve,and tonally just. It is not surprising that he seized upon Ricci's opaque watercolors.The paindngs of the Venetian masters had darkened in ill-lit churches, the shadowshad become murky, there were too many figures. But the Ricci paintings were smalland clearly patterned, the color sparkled.The original gouaches have not been located, but from other examples in thesame manner, in Buckingham Palace and in the UfEzi, it is plain that Jackson took
certain Uberdes. Ricci's rather sharp colors were considerably modified and mel-lowed when they weren't changed entirely: witness the two sets in different har-monies in die British Museum. Peter A. Wick (1955) believes it most likely thatJackson did not copy specific paintings, and suggests that details from Ricci's etch-ings and gouaches were combined and freely amended to create Ricci-like designs.Having determined his color scheme Jackson cut seven to ten blocks, eachdesigned to bear an individual color which was to combine with others when
necessary to form new colors. No outline block was used. To obtain variationsfrom light to dark in each pigment Jackson scraped down the blocks with a knife
;
he thus lowered the surfaces slightly and created porous textures which wouldintroduce the white paper or the underlying color. Examination of the prints
clearly shows granular textures in the light areas. Scraping to lighten impressionswas a common procedure in black-and-white printmaking, and was described byboth Papillon and Bewick. In addition Jackson no doubt used underlays, that is,small pieces of paper pasted in layers of diminishing size on the backs of the blockswhere the color was most intense. The pressure was therefore greatest in the deep-
est notes and hghtest in the scraped parts. The copper plate press enabled Jacksonto get good register without making marks on the blocks. The paper was damp-ened and fastened to the chase at one end. After each impression the next inkedblock was slid into the chase and printed wet into wet. Problems of register wereeliminated because the sheets were held in place at all times, the blocks fitting thesame form. No doubt the paper was sprinkled with water on the reverse side after
35
each impression to eliminate shrinking and to keep it soft for printing. Thismethod would explain Jackson's transparent effects.Although the Ricci prints were certainly the most ambitious and complexlyplanned prints of the century, the cutting is crisp and decisive and the effect freshand unlabored. As in the Venetian set embossing is consciously applied. Mostlikely Jackson impressed the finished prints, specially redampened for the purpose,with one or two of the uninked blocks. Jackson interpreted Ricci's qualities withgreat spirit, and in doing so he liberated the color woodcut from its old conven-tions. The "true"-color prints he produced in the medium preceded the Japanese,if not the Chinese.^' In Japan, it must be remembered, simple color printing in roseand green supplanted hand coloring in about 1741, and rudimentary polychromeprints can be dated as early as 1745, but, as Binyon ^' puts it, "it was not until 1764that the first rather tentative nishikj-yc, or complete colour-prints were produced inYedo, and the long reign of the Primitives came to an end."In making his Ricci prints Jackson sought a method of color printing thatwould overcome the deficiencies of Jacob Christoph Le Blon's three-color mezzo-tint process. Le Blon, a Frenchman born in Germany, had begim experimentingwith color printing as early as 1705. His idea was to split the chromatic compo-nents of a picture into three basic hues?blue, red, and yellow?in gradations ofintensity so that varying amounts of color, each on a separate copper plate, couldbe printed in superimposition to reconstitute the original picture. This was basedupon a simplification of Newton's seven primaries. Later, Le Blon added a fourth,black plate. Incredibly, this is the principle of modern commercial color printing,the only difference being that Le Blon did not have a camera, color filters, and thehalftone screen at his disposal and had to make the separations by hand. Le Bloncame to London in 1719, produced an enormous number of color prints, publishedhis Coloritto, or the Harmony of Colour'mg in Painting in a very small editionabout 1722 (it is undated), and shortly thereafter failed disastrously. About 1733he returned to Paris, where he attracted a few followers. Most of his prints havedisappeared, only about fifty being known at present.
^' Altdorfer's Beautiful Virgin of Ratisbon, about 1520, (B. 51, vol. 8, p. 78) made use of five colorsin some impressions (Lippmann describes one with seven colors) but these were used primarily fordecorative, not naturalistic purposes.
'- Laurence Binyon, A Catalogue of Japanese & Chinese Woodcuts in the British Museum, London,1916, p. XX, Introduction.
36
Trial proof of the key block of center sheet of The Cniafixioii. after Tintoretto. NationalGallery of Art (Rosenwald Collection). 37
Trial proof of the key block of Christ on the Mount of Olwes. after Bassano. NationalGallery of Art (RosenwaUl Collection). 38
The idea of full-color printing, then, was in the air, although later, in theEnquiry, Jackson took pains to state that he had not been following in the footstepsof the Frenchman, who, he claimed, had made serious mistakes.The Curious may think that this Tentamine was taken from the celebrated Mr.le Blond; I must here take the Liberty to explain tlie Difference . . . Numbers areconvinced already, that the printing Copper-plates done with Fiimo or Mezzotinto,are the most subject to wear out the soonest of any sort of Engraving on thatMetal. Had this one Article been properly considered, le Blond, must have seenthe impossibility of printing any Quantity from his repeated Impressions of Blue,Red, and Yellow Plates, so as to produce only Twenty of these printed Pictures tobe alike. This is obvious to every one who has any Knowledge, or has seen thecleaning of Copper-plates after the Colour was laid on; the delicate finishing ofthe Flesh must infallibly wear out every time the Plate is cleaned, and all thetender light Shadowing of any Colour must soon become white in proportion asthe Plate wears. The Nature of Impression being overlooked at first, was theprincipal Cause that Undertaking came to nothing, notwithstanding the immenseExpence the Proprietors were at to have a few imperfect Proofs at best, since it isevident they could be no other. The new invented Mediod of printing in Coloursby Mr. Jackson is under no Apprehension of being wore out so soon . . . Whateverhas been done by our English Artist, was all printed with Wood Blocks with astrong Relievo, and in Substance sufficient to draw off almost any number thatmay be required.What Jackson neglected to mention was the difficulty of repeating trans-parent color effects with large planks of wood. Few existing impressions matcheach other and some prints are off register. What saved him was his fine color
sense, his brilliance as a woodcutter, and his disinclination to make literal color
reproductions.The work that Jackson left behind became a part of the cultural heritage ofVenice, valued on its own account as well as for its connection with the city.Zanetti'' describes the Venetian set and Zanotto,"" in his Guida of 1856, urges a
visit to the Chiesa Abaziale della Misericordia, which evidently had on permanentexhibition a "perfectly unique collection of woodcuts in various colors by Jackson,quite unmatched."
?^ Zanetti, 1792, pp. 689, 716. ^' Zanotto, 1856, p. 320, note 3.
39
Gallo'^ says that some of Jackson's blocks found their way to the printinghouse of the Remondini and were used to strike off new impressions, after whichthey became the property of the Typografia Pozzato in Bassano. This might ex-plain some of the inferior examples of the Venetian set which could hardly havecome from the presses of Jackson or Pasquali.
England Again: The Wallpaper Venture
JACKSON was married in Venice?whether to an Italian we do not know?andwhen he left the city in 1745 to return to England he took a family along. Hementions "an impoverish'd Family" in the Essay, but beyond this we know noth-ing of his personal life.As soon as he arrived in England he was invited to work in a calico establish-ment, where he remained about six years. But making drawings to be printed oncloth failed to give him the scope he required. At the back of his mind was thepassion to work with woodblocks in color. This led him to take a bold and hazard-ous step?to leave his position and attempt, obviously with little capital, the manu-facture of wallpaper, not to please an established taste but to educate the public toa new type of product.Wallpaper had come into popular use in England in the late 17th century,having been obtained from China by the East India Company. These hand-painted wall hangings, imported at great cost and in small quantities, were corre-spondingly expensive. The subjects were gay and fanciful?birds, fans, Chinesekiosks, pagodas, and flowers. Highly desired because they offered an escape fromthe heavy grandeur of the Baroque style, they were subsequently imitated byassembly-line methods. They fitted naturally into the developing rocaille style(corrupted into Rococo outside of France), and it is not surprising that they were
also produced extensively in Paris. In England these imitations, which formed a
substitute for expensive velvet and damask hangings, completely dominated thewallpaper field.
"'Gallo, 1941, pp. 23-23. Jackson's blocks arc not listed in the Remondini catalog of 1817.
40
The first notice of Jackson's venture appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine
of February 1752."^ A letter signed "Y. D." praised the editor "Sylvanus Urban"for attempting to revive the art of cutting on wood. It mentioned that this art wzsin dechne for more than a century, but noted that
?
Two of our countrymen, E. Ktr]{all and /. B. Jacf^son, ought to be exempted fromthis general charge; the former having a few years ago introduced the ChiaroOscuro of Hugo de Carpi into England, though he met with no extraordinaryencouragement for his ingenuity ; and the art had died with him had not the latterattempted to revive it, but with less encouragement than his predecessor. Mr.Jackson, however, has lately invented a new method of printing paper hangingsfrom blocks, which is very ornamental, and exceeds the common method ofpaper-staining (as it is termed) by the delicacy of his drawings, the novelty of hisdesigns, and the masterly arrangement of his principal figures.The next notice appeared in the London Evening Post of April 30-May 2, 1752:New invented Paper Hangings, printed in Oyl, which prevents the fading orchanging of the Colours; as also Landscapes printed in Colours, by J. B. Jackson,Reviver of the Art of printing in Chiaro Oscuro, are to be had at Dunbar's Ware-house in Aldermanbury, London ; or Mr. Gibson's, Bookseller, opposite the St. Al-ban's Tavern in Charles-street near St. James's-Square, and no where else.
Several months afterwards, in the September 1752 issue of Gentleman's Maga-
zine, publication of the Enquiry into the Origins of Printing in Europe wasannounced.The Enquiry is an odd book. It combines rewritten versions of two Jacksonmanuscripts, a study of the origins of printing in Europe and an autobiographicaljournal covering, we suppose, the years from about 1725 on. The writer, in hisintroduction, says that he had been attracted by the two notices mentioned andwent to see Jackson, whom he already knew by reputation. As a "Lover of Art"he considered it his duty to acquaint the public with Jackson's ideas concerning theorigins of printing. These ideas, he felt, were an important contribution. Afterdevoting half the little book to a rambling account of this subject, including a shorthistory of woodcutting from Diirer onward, the author suddenly shifts to thejournal. It is regrettable that he condensed it because we do not know what was
' Vol. 22, pp. 77-79.
41
left out. It is possible that much autobiographical information was excluded, as well
as a picture of woodcutters and woodcutting of the time. The book concludes withthe statement that Jackson intended to print in October of that year (1752) apaper hanging in two sheets after an original painting "by F. Sitnonnetta ofTarma" " representing the battle fought near that city in 1738.This print was to be in full color, 3 feet 6 inches long by 2 feet high, and wasto serve as a specimen for a series of four of the same size, the others being "His-tory, Pictures and Landscapes." They were to be done by subscription:No Money will be required of the Subscribers till the Prints are finished, and only
at the Delivery. It is to be hoped the Curious and the Public will encourage thisUndertaking, by a Man who has spent the greatest Part of his Life in searching afterand improving an Art, believed by all to be lost, and has restored it to the Conditionwe now see it in his Works.The only known copy of this battle picture, made from about seven blocks,is in the Print Room of the British Museum. It is a magnificent piece. Probablynothing with this breadth of handling had ever been done in woodcut before. The
color is grave and beautifully harmonized, aldiough the paper has deterioratedand the colors have darkened somewhat. The blocks were cut with ardor, almostfury; everything is brought to life with masterly assurance. Martin Hardie, whomade the only previous comment on this print, which he could only surmise wasJackson's, says: ^' "Jackson's supreme achievement is a large battle scene, withwonderful masses of rich colour superbly blended, reminiscent of Velasquez inbreadth, in dignity, and in glory of tone."There were competitors in London, among them Matthias Darley, who pro-duced papers in the Chinese style; Thomas Bromwich, who was patronized byWalpole; and Robert Dunbar, Jr., of Aldermanbury, who in addition sold Jack-
son's papers. They lacked both Jackson's gifts and his unreasonable standards butthey produced more generally acceptable wallpaper with greater facility. Thesecompetitors did not work in oil colors, like Jackson. Transparent tints were toodifficult to control, especially when applied with inking balls (composition rollers
"There is little doubt that Jackson meant Francesco Simonini (1686-1753), a painter of battlesubjects who was born in Parma and lived in Venice in the 1740's.
^' Hardie, 1906, p. 23.
42
did not come into use until well after 1800), and effects were too heavy. They
used distemper?powdered color mixed with glue and water, with chalk added togive body. This was sometimes applied with woodblock or stencil but most often
it was simply painted in by hand over a blockprinted outline. Often the paintingwas done directly on the wall after the paper was hung. These wallpapers wereweak when examined critically, but nobody worried as long as a light bright pastel
effect was obtained. Jackson's vigorous drawing and woodcutting were out ofplace in this field. They were, like his tonal exactitude that made holes in die wall,
a distraction and an offense against interior decoration.Jackson's business, therefore, did not prosper. In a last effort to stir up publicinterest he published, in 1754, his well-known little book. An Essay on the Inven-tion of Engraving and Printing in Chiaro Oscuro, illustrated with eight prints in
"proper colours." It sold for two shillings and sixpence. The style was rather floridbut his arguments were presented with such vigor that it is easy to see why cridcshave found it difficult to refrain from quoting at length. The main body of text isonly eight pages long, with an additional eight pages of subsidiary descriptive
material attached to the pictures.On the title page appeared his favorite passage from Pascal, used previouslyon the title page of the Enquiry: "Ceux qui sont capables d'inventer sont rares:ceux qui n'inventent point sont en plus grand nombre, et par consequent les plusforts." The first few pages of the Essay enlarge on this theme:
It has been too generally the Fate of those who set themselves to the Inventingany Thing that requires Talents in the Discovery, to apply all dieir Faculties, ex-haust their Fortune, and waste their whole Time in bringing that to Perfection,which when obtained. Age, Death, or Want of sufficient Supplies, obliges them to
relinquish, and to yield all the Advantages which their Hopes had flattered themwith, and which had supported their Spirits during their Fatigues and Difficulties,to others; and thus leave behind them an impoverish'd Family incapable to carryon their Parent's Design, and too often complaining of the projecting Genius ofthat Father who has rum'd them, tho' he has enriched the Nation to which hebelonged, and to which of Consequence he was a laudable Benefactor.He proceeds in this bitter vein for a time, then brings into the open the main pur-pose of the book:
43
Another Reason perhaps is, that the Artist being totally engaged in the Pur-
suit of his Discovery, has but little Time to apply to the Lovers and Encouragersof Art for their Patronage, Protection, and Supplies necessary for the carrying onsuch a Design, or he has not Powers to set the Advantage which would result fromit in a true Light; nor communicate in Words what he clearly conceived in Idea:for certainly there are Men enough, who from the mere Desire of increasing theirWealth, would give him that Assistance, which, like the artificial Heat of a Green-house, would bring that Art to a Ripeness, which would otherwise languish anddie under the Coldness of the first Designer, and which in this Union of Richesand Invention would yield mutual Advantage to both.There are besides this amongst die Great, without Doubt, many who wouldgladly lend their Patronage to rising Arts, if they knew their Authors. . . .He gives as example the Duke of Cumberland, who had just sponsored a tapestryplant at Fulham, and follows with an outline of the honorable traditions of thewoodcut, pointing out that Diirer, Titian, Salviati, Campagnola, and other paintersdrew their work on woodblocks to be cut by woodcutters, and adds that "evenAndrea Vincentino did not think it in the least a Dishonour, though a Painter, tograve on Wood the Landscapes of Titian." He builds up to the statement thatRaphael and Parmigianino drew on woodblocks to be cut in chiaroscuro by Ugoda Carpi.
After having said all this, it may seem highly improper to give to Mr. ]ac\son[he speaks of himself throughout in the third person] the Merit of inventing thisArt; but let me be permitted to say, that an Art recovered is little less than an Artinvented. The Works of the former Artists remain indeed; but the Manner in whichthey were done, is entirely lost: the inventing then the Manner is really due to thislatter Undertaker, since no Writings, or other Remains, are to be found by whichthe Method of former Artists can be discover'd, or in what Manner they executedtheir works; nor, in Trudi, has the Italian Method since the Beginning of the i6thCentury been attempted by any one except Mr. ]ac\son.We cannot help concluding that Jackson was falsifying here. Taking advan-tage of the public's ignorance, he was pufEng up his historical importance in orderto sell wallpaper. If the cognoscenti complained that he had buried the chiaroscur-ists after da Carpi, he always had the explanation that others did not work in theItalian style, which he neglected to describe. Jackson knew what he was doing;he was not as ignorant of art history as Hardie and Burch have surmised, although
44
it is true that he was not always certain as to dates, since he beUeved Andreaniworked as a contemporary of da Carpi. In the Enquiry, pubUshed only two years
earlier, he had shown familiarity with the prints of Goltzius, Coriolano, Businck,Nicolas and Vincent Le Sueur, Moretti, and Zanetti, all of whom had worked tosome extent in the Italian manner.Some writers have reacted strongly to this paragraph. Losing their sense of pro-portion, they have been led to the conclusion that Jackson was little better than acharlatan and that his work as a whole reflected his low ethics. In some instanceshis culpability has been magnified: Benezit has even charged him with claimingto have invented color printing.The worst result of Jackson's insistence on re-inventing the Italian mannerwas that it made a major issue of what was at best a minor honor. It minimizedsuch technical contributions as the following, which did not follow traditional
recipes:
. ? . Mr. Jac^soft has invented ten positive Tints in Chiaro Oscuro; whereas Hugodi Carpi knew but four; all of which can be taken off by four Impressions only.
This technical system was used for the Venetian chiaroscuros, the portrait ofAlgernon Sidney after Justus Verus, and others. He did not mention that heneeded a greater range of tones because he was working after oil paintings, notdrawings. The introduction of full color from a series of blocks to translate water
colors is also mentioned in the Essay, but with no greater emphasis than in theEnquiry. Since his wallpaper was to be done in color as well as in chiaroscuro, and
since the Essay included four plates in color, it is astonishing that Jackson failed tomake stronger claims for his originality in this development.He proceeded to describe his plan to replace wallpapers in the Chinese stylewith his papers, which, he stated, would have no ". . . gay glaring Colours inbroad Patches of red, green, yellow, blue &c . . . [with] no true Judgment belong-ing to it . . . Nor are there Lions leaping from Bough to Bough like Cats, Housesin the Air, Clouds and Sky upon the Ground . . . ."He proposed, instead, to use as subjects many of the famous stames of an-tiquity; the landscapes of Salvator Rosa, Claude Lorrain, Poussin, Berghem,Wouwerman, the views of Canaletto, Pannini
?
45
Copies of the Pictures of all the best Painters of the Italian, French and FlemishSchools, the fine sculptur'd Vases of the Ancients which are now remaining; inshort, every Bird that flies, every Figure that moves upon the Surface of the Earthfrom the Insect to the human; and every Vegetable that springs from the Ground,whatever is of Art or Nature, may be introduced into this Design of fitting upand furnishing Rooms, with all the Truth of Drawing, Light, and Shadow, andgreat Perfection of Colouring.
This vast gallery of art and nature was to be printed in "Colours softening intoeach other, with Harmony and Repose . . . ."Even if we feel that Jackson was building up his project to attract attention,or that he was intoxicated by die idea of creating art on such a grand scale, thereis still something wrong in his conceiving it in terms of wallpaper. What is certainis that Jackson was desperately anxious to create color prints. In the absence of artpatrons, wallpaper was his only excuse for continuing as an artist. As a businessventure it was absurd, even tragic. There is good reason to believe that Jacksonlacked capital and rented the quarters for his business: his name does not appear inthe Poor Rate Book of that period in the Borough of Battersea.From a certain standpoint, this excursion by Jackson into wallpapers featuringRoman ruins and classical antiquity appeared to come at an appropriate time.Marco Ricci's paintings as well as die somewhat later work of Pannini and Zuc-
carelli, and Guardi's early ruin pieces, were already known. Ricci had visited Eng-land from 1 710 to 1 71 6. Zuccarelli had come twice, once in 1742 and again in 175
1
to stay until 1773, becoming a foundation member of the Royal Academy; hisclassical landscapes with their glib charm had a comparadvely good reception. Butthe strongest influence was undoubtedly that of Piranesi, whose powerful etchingsbrought to life as never before the ravaged stones of Imperial Rome and theCampagna. Their effect was widespread and electrifying, although it was notuntil the 1760's that they developed their full force as an influence on English archi-tecture and furniuire design, and came to supersede the Palladian style brought toEngland by Inigo Jones at the beginning of the 17th century.Jackson was too early; public taste was not yet ready for picturesque land-scape or andque forms in wallpaper. But the style became dominant in the latter1 8th century, particularly in England and France, and was also exported to Amer-ica. While it is difficult to estimate die degree of Jackson's influence in this develop-
46
ment, we know that no scenic papers can be dated before the Ricci prints, or beforeJackson's wallpaper venture. Oman^? comments:The use of wall-paper to imitate large architectural designs dates, as we have seen,from the days of }. B. Jackson. During the remainder of the century this style wasused almost exclusively for decoration of the halls and staircases of great houses.These papers covered rooms with landscape panoramas or with landscapes inRococo scroll frames, relieved by decorative panels with busts, statuettes, and floralornaments. As in preceding work, they were usually painted in opaque water
colors. Most of the landscapes were loose transcriptions of designs by Pannini,Vernet, Lancret and other painters of architectural, scenic, and pastoral subjects.The treatment was generalized and superficial, the touch light and detached.In this approach to wallpaper we see the basic ideas of Jackson, but with moreemphasis on charm and elegance. Ironically, as years passed and original sourcesgrew obscure, it became the tendency to attribute scenic papers in great houses toJackson." If he was a failure as a pioneer in the field, he remained its most highlyprized legend.The Essay continued with a criticism of the current taste in wallpaper. Jack-son enlarged on the lack of discrimination of persons who would prefer popularpapers to his.
It seems, also, as if there was great Reason to suspect wherever one sees suchpreposterous Furniture, that the Taste in Literature of that Person who directed itwas very deficient, and that it would prefer Tom D'Urfy to Shaf^espear, Sir RichardBlackjnore to Milton, Tate to Homer, an Anagrammatist to Virgil, Horace, orany other Writer of true Wit, either Ancient or Modern.He added that his prints, made in oil colors, would be permanent "whereas in thatdone with Water-Colours, in the common Way, Six Months makes a very visibleAlteration in all diat preposterous Glare, which makes its whole Merit. . . ."The Essay has eight plates, four of ancient statues in chiaroscuro and four
of plants, animals, and buildings, in probably six colors. They were hastily done andno doubt had a rather fresh charm when published, but unfortunately the oil inthe pigments was inferior, and every print in the book has darkened and yellowed
^ Oman, 1929, p. 33.
*" An excellent description of the papers of this type imported to America is given by Edna Donnellin Metropolitan Museum Studies 1932, vol. 4, pp. 77-108.
47
badly. The prints and neighboring pages are heavily spotted and stained. Thisbook which should have been his vindication became instead an argument for hislack of merit, especially to those who were not familiar with his other work.We do not know how large a working force Jackson had or how many of theprojected plates he planned to assign to helpers or to carry out himself. Some ofthe decorative borders from four blocks, blue, red, yellow, and gray-green, he un-doubtedly made and printed himself. They are heavy and rather fruity in efTectbut are incisively drawn and cut. Also bearing Jackson's stamp are some orna-mental frames with fruit and flowers in the same full range of colors.An album ascribed to him, in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Mu-seum, contains drawings of flowers, foliage, details of ornament and hand-coloreddesigns, and a proof of the woodcut for the title page to the Suetonius of 1738.Five of the drawings are signed or initialed by Jackson, with dates from 1740 to1753. The designs, which might have been intended for calico or wallpaper, arepoorly done and not at all in his style. The drawings are competent but cannotdefinitely be considered his, notwithstanding the signatures, since we do not knowJackson's handwriting from other sources. The most that can be said for this albumis that it probably comes from his workshop.While producing wallpaper, Jackson still made efforts to attract sponsors forfull editions of his earlier chiaroscuros. The Woman Meditating was dedicated tothe Antiquarian Society of London. Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, rejectedby Crozat, we assume, was dedicated to Thomas HoUis, whom Jackson may havemet in Venice. And the Venus and Cupid with a Bow was inscribed to ThomasBrand, lifelong companion of HoUis who later added to his name the latter'spatronymic. The Algernon Sidney has no dedication, but since HoUis was a Sidney
specialist and edited the first one-volume edition of his works in 1769, there is astrong likelihood that the print had some connection with this liberal gentleman.Jackson made it either in Venice just before he left, or in England shortly after his
arrival.Robert Dunbar, Jr., who had inherited the wallpaper manufactory on hisfather's death, went out of business late in 1754. In his possession was a quantity ofJackson's papers, for which he was the main outlet. With this backlog of paperson hand, and no large distributor, Jackson's venture collapsed. This happened
48
shortly after the publication of the Essay, and its author was never to have theopportunity to carry out his grandiose plans.Jackson appealed to Hollis, who wrote to his former mentor, Dr. John Ward,professor of rhetoric at Gresham College and the head of a society founded bynoblemen and gentlemen for the encouragement of learning: "Dear Sir!?Do Me the Favour to accept these four prints of Jackson's. They arcno where sold, & will soon be scarce. When You consider their Merit, I am con-fident You will lament the hard Fate of the ingenious Artist; who, at this Time,in his old age, & in his own Country is unprotected unnoticed, and can difBcuklysupport Himself against immediate distress & Ruin.
I am, with great Respect,Dear Sir! Your obliged affect humble ServantT. HollisBedford Street, February lo, 1755We do not know the results of this appeal. In any case Jackson seems to havefaded out as an artist. Litrie is known of his subsee]uent career up to the time morethan twenty years later, when Bewick mentions meeting him in advanced age. In
1 76 1 he made a drawing of Salisbury Cathedral for Edward Eaton, "bookseller atSarum," for a line engraving dedicated by Eaton to the Lord Bishop of Win-
chester. This large view included figures in the foreground in an attempt to giveanimation to the scene. Unfortunately the engraver, John Fougeron, was littlemore than an amateur. His execution was feeble and mechanical : Jackson's draw-ing suffered so badly that its quality cannot be determined. This print was copiedon a smaller scale in a steel engraving by J. B. Swaine, published by J. B. Nichols& Son in 1843, but it was hardly an improvement.Bewick's recollections of Jackson, written about forty years after their meetingin Newcastle, imply that Jackson stayed in that city for a period. The Town Clerk'sOffice, however, has no record of his residence. The following passage fromBewick's Memoir is the last evidence '' bearing on Jackson:
Several impressions from duplicate or triplicate blocks, printed in this way, of a
very large size, were also given to me, as well as a drawing of the press from
" British Museum Add. mss. 6210. " Bewick, 1925, pp. 213-214.
49
which they were printed, many years ago, by Jean Baptiste Jackson, who had beenpatronised by the King of France; but, whether these prints had been done withthe design of embeUishing the walls of houses in diat country, I know not. Theyhad been taken from paintings of eminent old masters, and were mostly Scripturepieces. They were well drawn, and perhaps correctly copied from the originals,yet in my opinion none of them looked well. Jackson left Newcastle quite en-feebled with age, and, it was said, ended his days in an asylum, under the protectingcare of Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bart., at some place on the border near die Teviot, oron Tweedside.
If Bewick was correct in reporting that Jackson died while under the protec-tion of Sir Gilbert Elliot, probably in a Poor Law institution, it is unlikely thatthe date could have been much later than 1777, the year in which Sir Gilbert died.This would place the meeting of both artists shortly before this time, when Bewickwas in his early twenties (he was born in 1753). Sir Gilbert lived in Minto House,Roxburghshire, Scotland, but no evidence can be found for the supposition thatJackson died in the vicinity. No obituary has been discovered. The record of Jack-
son's death, if it exists, probably lies in a parish register somewhere on the Scottishborder.
50
Qritkal Opinion
IN MOST histories of prints it was considered sufficient to note that certain artistsworked in woodcut chiaroscuro; the quaUty of such work was rarely discussed.But Jackson was an exception: something about his prints aroused critics to defense
or attack. The cleavage is absolute, strange for one who was presumably a merereproductive artist. Nothing could show more clearly the unsettled nature ofJackson's standing than a sampling of these opinions.Horace Walpole in a letter, dated June 12, 1753, to Sir Horace Mann de-scribing the furnishings in Strawberry Hill, commented:"The bovi^ window below leads into a little parlour hung with a stone-colour Gothicpaper and Jackson's Venetian prints, which I could never endure while they pre-tended, infamous as they are, to be after Titian, &c., but when I gave them this air
of barbarous bas-reliefs, they succeeded to a miracle; it is impossible at first sightnot to conclude diat they contain the history of Attila or Tottila done about thevery era.Von Heinecken " says they are "in the maimer of Hugo da Carpi but muchinferior in execution." But Huber, Rost, and Martini " noted Jackson's independ-ent approach
:
Jackson's prints, which are certainly not without merit, are in general lesssought after by collectors than they deserve. His style is original and is concerned
entirely with broad effects.
BavereP^ also had a high opinion of Jackson's work. Describing the Venetianprints, he says that Jackson "had a skillful and daring attack, and it is regrettablethat he did not produce more work." Nagler's " criticism typifies the academicpreconceptions of some writers on the subject of chiaroscuro:
^^ The Letters of Horace Walpole, ed. Toynbee, 1903, vol. 3, p. 166.
"Von Heinecken, 1771, p. 94.
*^ Huber, Rost, and Martini, 1808, vol. 9, pp. 121-123.
*^ Baverel, 1807, vol. i, pp. 341-342." Kiinstler-Lexicon, op. cit.
Jackson's works are not praiseworthy diroughout in drawing, and also he was notthorougUy able to apply the principles of chiaroscuro correcdy. . , . Yet we have
several valuable prints from Jackson. . . .And Chatto '' remarks
:
They are very unequal in point of merit; some of them appearing harsh and crude,and others flat and spiritless, when compared with similar products by the oldItalian wood engravers.With this verdict W. J. Linton '^ disagrees, saying, ". . . Chatto underrates him.I find his works very excellent and effective. The Finding of Moses (2 feet highby 16 inches wide) and Virgin Climbing the Steps of the Temple (after Vero-
nese), and others, are admirable in every respect . . . ." Duplessis '? attacks theVenetian set heatedly and at length, yet he devotes more space to expoundingJackson's deficiencies than to discussing the work of any other woodcut artist,even Diirer or da Carpi.On the evidence we have, the new conception Jackson brought to printmakingwas not fully understood until the 20th century. Pierre Gusman" in 1916 prob-ably first noted the technical distinction between Jackson's work and earlier
chiaroscuros.He [Jackson] conceived his prints in a different way from the Italians, bring-ing in new aspects in accenting values and planes, because he did not reproducedrawings but interpreted paintings. The whites even show embossings in the paperto make the light vibrate, and a specially cut block is sometimes impressed to helpin modeling the forms. Jackson, in short, very much the wood carver, combinedthe resources of the cameo witli those of the chiaroscuro and produced curiousworks of combined techniques, but without equaling his predecessors, who wereparticularly remarkable for their simplicity of style and treatment.
*' Chatto and Jackson, 1861, p. 455.
** Linton, 1889, p. 214. The second print mentioned is after Titian, not Veronese.
'" Duplessis, 1880, pp. 314-315. Duplessis, who was conservateur-adjoint in the Cabinet des Estampcsof the Bibliotheque Nationale, no doubt based his judgment on the impressions in that collection. Cer-tainly few of these were printed by either Jackson or Pasquali.
"Gusman, 19 16, pp. 164, 165.
52
One year later, in 1917, Max J. Friedlander" commented that relief effectsin block printing were not alien additions but natural consequences of the method.His main emphasis, we note, is on the Ricci prints.A peculiarity of the color woodcut, which first was put up with as a characteristic
of the technique but finally was enhanced and utilized fully as a means of expres-
sion, is the physical relief that stands out in thick and soft paper with the sharppressure of the wood-blocks. . . . No one has employed the relief of the wood-cut so consciously and artfully as the Englishman John Baptist Jackson in theeighteenth century, who, particularly in some landscapes, created most effectiveand richly colored sheets. He has gone so far as to express forms in "blind-pruit-ing," entirely without bordering lines or contrasting colors, merely through reliefpressing.Anton Reichel's important history of chiaroscuro, with its magnificent colorplates in facsimile, appeared in 1926." He says of Jackson that his activity in
chiaroscuro was "extraordinarily rich," that he created broad approximations ofhis subjects which made him neglect details, but that these were "convincinglytranslated into the language of the woodcut."
Five heroic landscapes after M. Ricci represent the artistic high point of his work,having a distinctive richness of color not previously attained by any other masterof chiaroscuro. Each of the prints has a complete harmony of colors; the singlecolor blocks?over ten can be counted in each print?which show in their sepa-
rate tones the extraordinarily cultivated taste of the artist, give the composition adecorative effect far from any realistic imitation of nature. . . . The relief im-pressed with the blocks is so strong that, going beyond all other prior attempts ofthe kind, it represents an essential factor of die composition through its actuallight-and-shadow effects.
Although by this time Jackson's chiaroscuros were regarded with respect andhis color prints were acknowledged to be of prime importance, some of the conj-
servative wallpaper historians were still repelled by their vigor, which did not
suit genteel notions of interior decoration. Sugden and Edmondson " in 1925 cer-
"^ Friedlander, 1926 (ist ed. 1917), pp. 224-226.
''^Reichel, 1926, p. 48.
" Sugden and Edmondson, 1925, p. 71.
53
tainly failed to understand both Jackson's work and the period in which it wasdone. They comment:
Jackson's bold claims to originality and merit are scarcely borne out by any-thing he is known to have achieved. That he had a vogue, however, seems certain,for apart from his "Essay" he has come down to us as a historical figure. To mod-ern tastes in art many of his productions seem almost monstrous, and yet they wereto some extent the expression of the dme-spirit in which they were born.
Tostscript
WHILE Jackson had an influence on a small coterie, it did not prolong the life ofthe color woodcut. In Europe the medium did not survive his disappearance in 1755
;
no doubt it seemed to later artists intractable and lacking in nuance. The black-and-white woodcut, moreover, went into further decline and was almost entirely dis-regarded except for the rudest sort of work. Almost a century and a half were topass before Gauguin and Munch swept aside old taboos and found exciting newpossibilities for color in the woodcut process.The lack of interest in the color woodcut was also the result of new techniquesin the copper-plate media, techniques that could be adapted to color printing. In1756 J. C. Francois introduced the crayon manner, an etching process that couldimitate the eflfects of chalk and crayon drawings. During the following decadesnumerous technical variations were developed, the most popular being the pastelmanner, the stipple, and the aquatint.Of these methods only aquatint survived after early years of the 19th century.
It was less limited than its companion processes and had wide application in ren-dering the effect of water-color wash. But color work in this medium, however
attractive to a public that appreciated dehcacy and charm, did not have mass ap-peal. The new audience created by the advancing Industrial Revolution wantedprinted pictures of a less subtle type; they preferred imitations of sentimental,
54
.?r?:t --jj>i-^^?waafc'.Mi iii'iiw i
Pi
hMDH^C/DOH
</>HMXHOO
u
55
i. Venus and Cupid with a Bow, after Parmigianino
56
OCIETATI ?SliIIIl^f9]^ .ONDINENSIHum,.
CertoclcL con clicdto cleftin twnJcelfe,Sonrimpre/e maqnanime negletU\,Ma k beWalrtAalkbeWopre eletteSanno gioir ndkfatichc eccelfs ;
5. Woman Meditating (St. Thais?), after etching by Parmigianino
57
JianbiaiidcpumLaU.p.LlaLiine-)i.Extiil Verutiu uidcnuij. Smith. J:BJackson J^guixujuxta Ctrchetupumi.
13. Descent from the Cross, after Rembrandt
58
oanoQ<
wQ
wu<
O
w<
P<UMQ
h-1O
59
o?uOXQ
o
<;SMK
H
ft<P<
o?wXo
60
4JQ
u
O
s
OQ
OU
<
wM
h
W<uD
ooM
O
6i
49- Ornamental Frame \vith Flowers and Girl's Head59. Woman Standing Holding Apron
62
53- Building and Vegetable63
n.. The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto, left she
64 iz. The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto, center sheet
-Lx. The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto, right sheet
65

banal, story-telling oil paintings with a high, waxy finish. Neither aquatint norother copper-plate media were suitable for these products, and color lithographydid not receive serious attention until the late 1830's. The wood engraving, whichhad inherited the function of the woodcut and which had greater flexibility inrendering tones and details, became tlie logical vehicle for the new color picture.In this situation Jackson suddenly appeared as the pioneer, as the father ofprinted pictures based upon paintings in oil or water colors. His intention hadbeen translation rather than imitation and he would have abhorred the feeble newproduct, but this did not concern his successors?they were interested only in histechnical principles. Moreover, in their naivete, they imagined they were improv-ing on Jackson because their prints were counterfeit paintings while his were not.The earliest picture printers therefore, used wood engraving. Among themwere Frederich W. Gubitz of Berlin, who began the revival about 1815; WilliamSavage'" of London, a printer who published a book describing his project in1822; and George Baxter of London, whose work dates from about 1830. All
started with chiaroscuro and moved to full color from a large niunber of woodblocks, although in 1836 Baxter began printing his transparent oil colors over abase of steel engraving reinforced with aquatint. Only Baxter persevered and wasrewarded by sensational popular success. His glassy and trivial prints with theirhigh sweet finish enjoyed a vogue among collectors that lasted into the 20th cen-tury. In about i860, however, he was driven from the market by the rise of acheaper medium, chromolithography, which was responsible in the next fewdecades for a universal outpouring of popular bathos. This was picture printingin color geared for the mass audience.It may seem an anticlimax to trace the color woodcut from Jackson to Baxter,and finally to chromolithography, but it is not irrelevant. Although spurned bythe better artists, color had too popular an appeal to be ignored. It was inescapablethat Jackson's successful technical procedures should finally be adopted and cor-rupted in the area of commerce.Woodcut artists up to Jackson, with few exceptions, had used color for onemajor purpose, to reproduce drawings in line and tone. By enlarging the concep-tion of the color woodcut Jackson brought the primitive chiaroscuro phase of its
*' Savage, 1822. Jackson's pioneer work is acknowledged, pp. 15-16.
67
history to an end. After him, the chiaroscuro could not be practiced again except
as an archaism/" The way was open for the modern woodcut, although it was along time in coming.The range of Jackson's work in tone and color exceeded that of all previouswoodcutters and can be divided as follows: (i) chiaroscuros?after drawings,
after paintings, after his own pen and ink drawings after paintings, interpretations
of engravings and etchings, and interpretations of sculpture; and (2) full color
?
after paintings in gouache and after his own water colors. In addition he treatedpictorial subjects in flat color areas without a key or outline block, a procedureused before him only by the 17th-century Chinese; and he combined burin workwith knife cutting.But Jackson's reputation, in the long perspective, must rest upon his quaUties
as an artist. He had great distinction as a colorist but lacked originality as a de--signer and was dependent upon others, for the most part, for basic compositions.As an interpreter of these compositions, however, he was imaginative and forceful.He did not follow the example of most copper plate engravers and reproduce sub-jects faithfully; his conception of the woodcut as a frank medium precluded exact
rendition. Except, possibly, for his first chiaroscuro, he always translated freely, withthe aim of making good woodcuts rather than accurate representations of his sub-jects. Jackson's work after others, in short, was consciously intended as artful ap-proximation. This emphasis on the spirit rather than the letter, together with hisnovel techniques, often gave his prints a somewhat hybrid character?an ambiguouslook that might serve to explain the uneasy feelings of many critics. But his largeness
of feeling is unmistakable, and this is what finally places him among the masters.The color woodcut is now an important form of printmaking. For this me-dium in the Western world, Jackson is the main ancestral figure.
'^"Only one moderately important chiaroscurist can be mentioned, John Skippe, who worked inEngland from the 1770's to about 1810.
68
CATALOG
JACKSON'S chiaroscuros and color woodcuts have been grouped under threeheadings. The first and main section includes, besides those of unquesiionable
authenticity, prints which can be attributed to Jackson with some degree of
certainty and those actually seen by earlier writers but which have apparently dis-appeared. In each case tlie status of the print in Jackson's octivre has been noted.The second section lists pieces believed to be by Jackson's workshop. Printsdiat might have been done independently by close followers have been includedhere because we have no evidence that would permit distinctions to be drawn.The last section lists unverified subjects attributed to Jackson in a number ofmuseums but which have been lost through war or other causes, and doubtful titlesfound in Nagler and Le Blanc. In each category the prints have been listed inchronological order as far as this can be determined. The sequence of the Venetian
set follows Jackson's description in the Enquiry, although the prints themselvesare dated somewhat differently.One difficulty in cataloging Jackson's work is the prevailing confusion intitling, the same prints being listed differently in different collections. This was tobe expected since the artist almost invariably omitted titles. Nagler's and Le Blanc'scatalogs are not descriptive and consequently there has been much guesswork inchecking titles, particularly since the Venetian set and the Ricci prints are onlypartially listed by both writers, and not entirely correctly. Where subjects have notbeen recorded at all, the variation in titling has been greater.The location of prints has been given, with the exception of those in the Vene-tian set and in the Essay, which are, in part or whole, in too many collections tomake listing feasible. It is not to be taken as complete. Jackson prints in a numberof museums, particularly in Germany, have disappeared but might turn up again
;
some are still packed in boxes and await return to collections. For the sake ofsimplicity the names of cities alone have been used with the understanding thatthe chief print collection is meant. Exceptions are Boston where the Museum, ofFine Arts is abbreviated to MFA and the Fogg Art Museum is shortened to Fogg,New York where the Metropolitan Museum of Art is listed as MMA and the NewYork Public Library as NYPL, and London where the British Museum is noted
as BM and the Victoria & Albert as V & A.
70
The woodcuts reproduced are numbered according to this catalog, and placed
as nearly as possible in the same order. When prints have been listed by Nagler
or Le Blanc their corresponding numbers have been included. Print sizes are givenin inches, vertical sides first.
Trints by Jackson
I.Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peterj after Raphael [Le Bl. 7, N. 9]Dimensions:j\ X 9f inches with letters, 6| x 9! inches without letters.Blocks, 4:Light brown, light gray-brown, gray-brown, black.Inscription, lower left:
"Raph. Urb. inv."Below, under border:
"Tho. Hollis Arm. Hospit. Lincoln. D. D. D. J. B. Jackfon sculptor."About 17x7. The dedication was added about 1750. After a drawing, nowin the Louvre, for Raphael's tapestry cartoons. MFA, BM, Berlin-Dahlem2.Vemis and Cupid with a Bow, after ParmigianinoDimensions:9f X 6i inches with letters, 8f x G\ inches without letters.Blocks, 4:Buff, light brown, terra-cot ta red, black.Inscription, bottom:
"Tho. Brand Arm. Hospit. Temp. D. D. D./J. B. Jackfon sculptor."Left, running vertically:
"F. M. Farm, inv."173 1.
71
The dedication was added about 1750. Other impressions occur in acombination of green and brown and also in gray and green. Five impressionsare in the British Museum including one in which two slanting verticallines in the table immediately to the left of Cupid's left leg are omitted.Philadelphia, MFA, BM, V&A, Berlin-Dahlem, Rotterdam, Brussels
3-Woman Standing Holding Jar on Her Head, after ParmigianinoDimensions:6j X 3^ inches.Blocks, z:Mustard yellow, black.Inscription, at bottom:
"Per Illustri, ac Praclaro Viro Joseph Smith//. B. Jackson Humiliter DedicatDonat, et/Sculpsit. 1731-
"
Another state has the following added in small letters:
"Antonius Ma Zanetti a Jacobo Parmense Delin."The block for the tone is in two versions. The one illustrated is dotted inthe jar to show gradations, while the other one is more loosely handled.Free copy of line engraving by G. A. Faldoni. BM, V&A4.Headpiece with Landscape and RuinsThis print is listed in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, but hasbeen lost in the war. No information as to color or size is available. The cardcatalogue has the following description:
"Ruins to the left. In the middle going over a river is a bridge. To theright is a city view with campanile, dome and other buildings. Dated 1731."Probably made for use in a book. This seems to be the print described byBaverel and the "petite vue" Papillon mentioned.
5-Woman Meditating (St. Tbaisl), after ParmigianinoDimensions:15! X 9i inches with letters, lof x 9J inches without letters.Blocks, i: Pale brown, black. Also in green and blue-green.After etching by Parmigianino (B. 10).
72
Inscription, left near top, running diagonally upward:
"F: M: Parmen' jInventorjj: B: Jackjon DeljSculp & excudit."Bottom, beneath lower border:
"SociETATi Antiquari^ Lo'sni^-Eisisi/Humillime D.D.D. J.B.JCerto da cor, ch' alto dejtin non Scelje,Son I'impreje magnanime neglettejMa le bell'alme alle bell' opre eletteSanno gioir nelle fatiche eccelje;Ne biajmo popolar, frale catena,Spirto d'onore, il Juo cammin rajfrena."This inscription vv^as added much later, about 1750.MFA, MMA, PhiladelphiaBM, Berlin-Dahlem, Vienna, Bremen, Brussels, Amsterdam, Dresden
6.Ulysses and Volyphemus, after PrimaticcioDimensions:7f X \Q)\ inches.Blocks, -l:Greenish yellow, black.Inscription, bottom right:
"J- 9"Some copies lack the inscription. This is from plate 9 of Theodor VanThulden's 58 etchings reproducing designs by Primaticcio in Fontainebleau,published as "Les Travaux d'Ulisse" by P. Mariette in Paris, 1633.These etchings were published again in 1740 as "Errores Ulyssis." Listed asby Jackson in Weigel's Kunstlagercatalog, 1843, vol. i, p. 103. BM, V&A
7-BookplateDimensions:4J X 6 inches, approximately.Blocks, x:Reddish brown, black.Inscription left and right top, in ribbon:
"LiTTERARUM FeLICITAs" BM
n
8.Judgment of Solomon, after RubensDimensions:17 X lof inches.Blocks, 4:Yellow-bufF, light brown, violet-brown, dark brown.Inscription, lower right:
"III.""' et Exc."'? D.D. Philippo Vakskyti, jPatritio Veneto, Patroiw suo5f?f/<r.""'/Tabulam ham Petri Pauli Rubens. /In Ligno calavit, et in suiObsequii et grati AnimijM.onumentum humiliter Devovet ]. B. Jackson."1735- BM, Brussels, Venice
9-The Visitation, after Annibale CarracciDimensions:14^ X lOj inches.Blocks, 4:Light yellow, buff, brown, dark gray.Inscription, upper right:
"Au. Caratius PinxKjJ: B: Jackson PfC/>/VENEZiA 1735."Weigel described this^print as Der Besuch bet Elisabeth in his Kunstlagercatalog,1843, vol. 1, p. 103. Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)MFA, Philadelphia, BM, Dresden
10.Julius Caesar, after TitianDimensions:li X 95 inches.Blocks, 4:Tones of brown with dark^brown key block.About 1738.This is a free translation of an engraving by Egidius Sadeler [Le Bl. 143] afterone of a series of Roman emperors attributed to Titian. The original paintingshave been lost. BM
74
II.St. Rocco, after Cherubino Albert!Dimensions:ii| X lo^ inches.Blocks, 3:Green, reddish tan, black.
"S. Rocco" added by another hand.Some impressions lack the inscription. Also in two colors, mustard yellowand black.Free transcription of a line engraving by Cherubino Alberti after an unde-termined painter (Le Bl. 61). A facsimile in grayed chartreuse and black waspublished by the Reichsdruckerei in Berlin, about 1915.^ MFA, BM
12.Statuette of Neptime, after Giovanni da Bologna [Le Bl. 19, N. 8]Dimensions:
2.T.\ X 15I inches.Blocks, 4:Tones of tan and brown.Inscription, bottom:
"Ex Prototypo /Ereo Joannis- Bolonia Duacensis vi/Museo D: Josephi SmithVenetiis.lJ. B. Jackjon Anglus Sculp ^ exc."About 1738.The first state is without letters. Third state has inscription on top ofstatue base, "Gul. Lloyd Arm. D.D.D. J.B.J."Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)MFA, Los Angeles, BM, Paris, Berlin-Dahlem, Wiemar, Amsterdam
13-Descent from the Cross, after Rembrandt [Le Bl. 10, N. 3]Dimensions:14 X II inches (arched print).Blocks, 4:Yellow, gray, light brown, dark violet-brown.Inscription, bottom left:
"Rembrandt pinxit, alt. p. 1. lat. unc x. Extat Vetietiis in domo J: Smith."Bottom right:
"/.? B: Jackson figuras juxta Arcbetypum Sculp. & excudit. 1738.'
75
Bottom:
"Acceperunt ergo Corpus JESU, & ligaverunt illud linteis/cum Aromatibus,ficut mos eft Judasis fepelire. S.Joan. Cap. xix Ver. xi."/Lower, with coat of arms:
"Periliusfri ac Praeclaro Viro D. Josepho Smtb/Insigne hoc Opus ajjabre inLigno coelavit, & in sui/obseqii & grati Animi monu-mentum humiliter devovetj]:B: Jackson" Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)MFA, Fogg, MMA, NYPL, Chapel Hill, PhiladelphiaBM, Paris, Berlin-Dahlem, Vienna, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Prague
Christ and the Woman oj SamariaDimensions:141 X lof inches.Blocks, 3
:
Buff, greenish yellow, black.After a Bolognese master. Weigel described this as a "beautiful" chiaroscuroby Jackson. MFA15-Romulus and RemuSj WolJ and Sea GodDimensions:Xj X 72 inches.Blocks, i:Green, black.Attributed to Jackson. Probably an illustration for a book. BM16.The Death oJ St Peter Martyr, after Titian [Le Bl. 16, N, 10]Dimensions:iij X 135 inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, pale greenish gray, brown, dark gray.Inscription, lower left (inside border):
"/.? B: Jackson Sculp: <<y Excudit Venetiis 1739."Outside bottom frame, center:
"TiTlANUS VeCELLIUS CaD. InVENIT & PiNXIT."The painting was destroyed by iire in 1867.
76
17-The Presentation in the Temple (The Circumcision), after Veronese[Le Bl. 4, N. 15]Dimensions:xi| X 15I inches.Blocks, 4:Buft, reddish gray, dark gray, dark brown.Inscription, bottom:
"Illustrissimo, & Erudito Viro Carolo Frederick Armigero, liberalium ArtiumPatronoJPAULi Cagliari praeclarum hoc Opus in Ligrio coelatum, in grati animiargumentum humiliter D. D. D.//-' -S-' Jackson."1739-
18.The Massacre of the Innocents, after Tintoretto [Le Bl. 5]Dimensions:151 X 2.1 inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, violet-gray, light brown, dark violet-brown.Inscription, center bottom:
"Illustrissimo, / et Praeclaro Viro Dno. Dno. / Smart Lethieullier / EruditaAntiquitatis Studioso / Investigatori, Tabellam banc / Jacobi Robusti in sui /obsequium D. D. D. /.? B: Jackson."1739-
19-The Entombment, after Jacopo Bassano [Le Bl. ii, N. 5]Dimensions:ii| X 15! inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, light reddish tan, gray, dark brown.Inscription on urn, above lower right-hand corner:
' '/. B: Jackson Delin Sculp & excudit 17}9Across bottom:
"Insignem hanc Tabulam a Jacobo de Ponte depictam. Clarissimo Viro JacoboFacciolato Seminarii Patavini Prasidij Archigymnasii ornamentajingenii doc-trina, & in primis Latince eloquentia laude celeberrimo J B Jackson D. C."
77
20.Holy Family and Four Saintsj after VeroneseDimensions:iXj X 13! inches.Blocks, 4:Light yellow, light greenish gray, dark brown, dark gray.Inscription, bottom center:
" Perillustri et Nobili Viro D'^'?D''?/Bourchier Wrey B.iRRONETTo/GcuerosoArtium Ltbcralium Fautorijin sui Obsequium D. D. D. /. B. JacksonjP: C:Veroneje Pinxit."
.
1739-
21.The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine, after Veronese [Le Bl. 18, N. 4]Dimensions:XI X 15 J inches.Blocks, 4:Pale greenish gray, pale violet-gray, medium greenish gray, deep cold gray.Inscription, lower center:
"GuLiELMO Windham //irw/gfw, Artiutn ElegantiorufnlFautori, banc TabulambumillimeIDedicatjJ . B. Jacksoti."Bottom left:
"Paulo Veroneje Pinxit JBJ f 1740"Many impressions are found in brown tones.
22.The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto [Le Bl. 9, N. 13]Dimensions:xi| X i6j inches (left plate), zif x i6| inches (center plate), xi-i x i6? inches(right plate).Blocks, 4:BufF, light brown, gray, reddish brown.Inscription, bottom center (center plate):
"lUustrissimo & Nob: Viro D"": D"?.7Richardo Boyle Cornti de Burlitigton& Cork &c./AiagJ7a Britannia & Hibernia Pari, Hibernia Archi-rhesaurariojHeredetario, Nobilisimi Ordinis Periscelidis Equiti (lycjOptima ArchitecturaInstauratori ac Caterarum Artium Liberalium/Moecenati munificentissitno.jSingo-
78
Iare hoc Opus a Jacobo Robusti depictam in Schola S: Roca Venetiisladservatum.J: B: Jackson Anglus qui Ligno Coelavit humillime D.D.C. 1741."On shield, bottom center (center plate):
"HoNi SoiT ? Qui ? Mal y Pense-"Below shield, bottom center (center plate):
"Honor- Virtutis- Premium."A bust portrait of a man in 18th-century dress is visible on the rightknee of the woman with a child in the center background of the left sheet.It is not a likeness of Richard Boyle. Could this be a self-portrait byJackson?A trial proof of the key block, center sheet, is in the Rosenwald Collec-tion, National Gallery of Art.
23-Miracle of St. Mark, after Tintoretto [Le Bl. 15, N. x]Dimensions:zz\ X i/f inches (left sheet), 2.i^ x lyf inches (right sheet).Blocks, 4:BufF, light brown, dark brown, dark gray.Inscription, lower left (left sheet):
"Per illustri D?? D??/Eduardo Wright, /Armigerojpulcrarum Artium ex-j
cultori vel soUertissimoJhoc Jacobi Kohusti/C^communiter Tintoretto')/praclarumopus in/sua argumentum ob-lservantia addicit, et/consecrat y B. Jackfon."
24.The Marriage at Cana, after VeroneseDimensions:i3 X i6f inches (left sheet), rri, x i6f inches (right sheet).Blocks, 4:BufF, dark buff, violet-brown, dark brown.Inscription, lower left (left sheet):
"Paulo Cagliari/Veron: Pinxit."Lower right (right sheet):
"Rev""- D"?* P./Leopoldo Capello Coenobii D: GEORGii/Ord: S: Benedict:/Abbati/ meritissimo-IJ: B: Jackson/D. D. D.
"
Extreme lower right (right sheet):
"J: B: Jackson Delin: Sculp.!& excudit Venetiis 1740."Jackson in the Enquiry (p. 48) described this print, and the two precedingsubjects, as being "in Hugo's Manner with Improvements."
'79
25-Presentation of the Virgm in the Templej after Titian [Le Bl. 3, N. 18]Dimensions:li X 15! inches (left sheet), 2.% x ijl inches (center sheet), xi x 17J inches(right sheet).Blocks, 4:Light grayish umber, medium brown, dark gray, dark brown.Inscription, lower left (left sheet):
"Opus hoc admiratione sane dignum, cunctorumq; approbationsIconunendatum, acSacrarii Confratrum Caritatis VenetiarumjpotiJJimufn ornamentiim, a TitianoViccellio CadorensiJViro pingendi arte pra cateris celeberrimo, colorihus quamjfieripotest ad naturale expressum, adumhratumq^; pro virihusjexscribere studens J: B:Jack/on delineavit, excudit, et exjculpsit. 1741."Lower right, on streamer (right sheet):
"DuciT- Amor Patri^."Lower right, in block (right sheet):
"Per Illuftri, ac Nobili Viro D:"" D:?''/Erasmo Philipps Barronetto/Artium Xfl^ntissinio Faiitori, et de re litterariajoptime merito, Tabulam hatictenue debita venerationislsua argumentum, emeritissimo Fatrono, et Mecanatij com-mendat, et dicat/J: B: Jack/on.'
'
26.The Virgin in the Clouds and Six Saints, after Titian [Le Bl. 14, N. 17]Dimensions:13 J X 14! inches.Blocks, 2.:Buff, black.Inscription, upper left and right:
'Tir? atq; Excell:""' D:?? D:"" Philippo Farsetti Nob. Ntn.jTabellamhanc a Titiano Viccellio jam depictam inlgratissimi animi, cultusq^; perpetuitestimonium, INieciznati, ac Sospiti munificentissimolhumiliat, et consecrat J. B.Jackfon."Center of picture, on wall:
"TiTIANUS FaCIEBAt"Bottom center:
"/. B. Jackson Del: sculp:&c. 1742.."Niccolo Boldrini's woodcut after Titian's drawing of the lower half of thissubject (Le Bl. ii) evidently inspired Jackson to transcribe the entire paint-ing as a pen-and-ink drawing in Titian's style, with a tint block added.80
27-The Descent of the Holy Spirit, after Titian [Le Bl. 13, N. i]Dimensions:iif X 15I inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, light gray-brown, light yellow-brown, dark brown.Inscription, upper left and right:
"Perillujtri, ac Nobili Viro D.'"" D-"" Jacobo Stewart MACKii<iziBjHonor-
abili Magna Britan-nia Conjilii Conjcripo PatrijOpus hoc, qtiod ex Titi-aniViccellii Picturajexjcripsit, in humillimi ohjequii testi-jmonium devo-vebat!].'&.Jackfon."
28.The Finding of Moses, after Veronese [Le Bl. 1, N.14]Dimensions:
2.2. X 15 inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, light brown, light violet-gray, dark gray.Inscription, lower right:
"III""' a Excell""' D: D:/Everardo Fawkener Eq Aur/pro Mag: Brit: Kege adTurc: Imper:ILegato. Elegant: Artium Moecena-jti Munificentis: in sui Obsequii.Ar-jgumentum humill: D: D:/f: B: fackson."Lower left
:
"Ex Tabella/a Paulo Calliari Veron'./depicta penes f: Smith Ven/J: B: facksonDel Sc:dp & excud/1741."29-The Raising of La-\aruSj after Leandro Bassano [Le Bl. 6, N. 7]Dimensions:2.3I X 14I inches.Blocks, 4:Buff, light reddish gray, gray, dark cold brown.Inscription, upper left and right:
"111:'"? D.-"" D:"" Vincentio Riccardi, Marchioni/Florenti?io, amplissitnoSenatori,laTnanarum litterarum scientiarumq^; excultorilperamantissimo, Tabellambanc ^/Leandro de Ponte colori-jbus expressam veluti exigu-jurn obser-vantiasua/specimen D. D. D./J B Jackson"Center bottom:
"f: B:fackfon Del.fculp. &c. 1741."
81
30-Christ on the Mount of Olives, after Jacopo Bassano [Le Bl. 8, N. 6]Dimensions:
X2. X 155 inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, medium brown, gray, dark brown.Inscription, bottom:
"111:'"'^ atq; Excell:"^ D:"" B-r^IPaulina ContarenajNos: Venet^, avitisanguinis ingenti splendore clara, sed Virtutum nohilitate longe clariori, piissimumlhoc Christiana Fidei mom/mentum, exiguum obseqnentissitna servitutis sua signum,quod ex pictura/Jncohi de Ponte delineavit, et exjculpsit, generossin2a Patrona, etAuspici dedicabat J: B: Jackson."
.
1743-A trial proof of the key block is in the Rosenwald Collection, NationalGallery of Art.
31-Melchisedech Blessijig Abrahamj after Francesco Bassano [Le Bl. i, N. 19]Dimensions:Z2.\ X 15I inches.Blocks, 4:BufF, warm gray, brown, dark brown.Inscription, lower right:
" Per-illustri D."" D."''/Joanni ReadbITabellafn banc in obje-jquentijjima
reverentialspecimen D. D. D.IJ. B. Jackjonlex Tabella peneslD. Jos'" Smith."1743-
32;Dives and LaT^rus (The Rich Man and Lazarus), after Jacopo BassanoDimensions:xi X 15 inches (left sheet), zi x 15 inches (right sheet).Blocks, 4:BufF, light brown, light brownish gray, dark brownish grayInscription, lower left of left plate:
"Per-illustri, ac Honorabili VirolD:"" D:"" Roberto Hoblyn, IArmigero,Magnaq; Britan-jnia Consilii Conscripto PatriJArtium, Scientiarumq; CtdtorijetNlacenati, sui ergo obsequiijdicabatl]. B. Jackfon."
82
Lower right of left plate:
"Ab Exemplar! , Jacobi de Ponte, quod Venetiis penesID. Jojeph Smith extat,exjcripjit qui dicabat.jj: Bajan Pf1743-
33-Algernon Sidney, after Justus Verus [Le Bl. 20]Dimensions:135 X 8| inches with letters, 85 x 7I inches (oval portrait only).Blocks, 4:Tan, light brown, light gray, dark gray.Inscription, left and right under oval:
" Zustus Verus, pinx: J: B: J: sculp; et exc:"In rectangle at bottom:At the Time when M^ Algernon Sidney tvas Ambaffadorat that Court, Monjieur Terlon the French AmbaJJador,had the Confidence to tear out of the Book of Mottosin the King's Library, this Verje, tvhich M". Sidney{according to the Liberty allowed to all Noble Strangers')had tvritten in it:JManus haec inimica TyrannisEnfe petit placidam fub Libertate quietem.Though Monjieur Terlon underjtood not a word ofLatin, he was told by others the meaning of that Sen-tence, iL'hich he considered as a Libel upon the FrenchGovernment and upon Juch as tvas then Jetting up inDenmark by French AJJistance or Example.Pref: to Acco^- of Denmark 4.-"' Edit:P:2}.Another version with light red in place of light gray (Philadelphia, whichalso has set of progressive proofs).Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)Worcester, MFA, Fogg, Baltimore, MMA, NYPL, PhiladelphiaBM, Berlin-Dahlem, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hamburg
83
34-Antique Bust of WomanDimensions:14I X 102 inches (irregular oval).Blocks, 4:Yellow-gray, greenish brown, gray-brown, brown. MFA35-Lovers (facing right), perhaps after PiazzettaDimensions:15 X lol inches.Blocks, 5:Light brownish gray, darker brownish gray, medium brown, cold gray,dark brown.Attributed to Jackson. V&A36.Lovers (woman full face), perhaps after PiazzettaDimensions:15 X loj inches.Blocks, 5:Light brownish gray, darker brownish gray, medium brown, cold gray,dark brown.Companion piece to previous print. Attributed to Jackson. V&A37-Lamentation Over the Body oj ChristDimensions:102 X 131 inches.Blocks, 5 or 6:Blue, brown, red, flesh, gray.Inscription, bottom:
"Et tuam ipjius animam pertraitjibit gladius,"This is probably an experiment in color printing made by Jackson, after hisown design, before attempting the Ricci set. BM
38-Heroic Landscape With Dedication and Classical Kuins, after Marco Ricci[Le Bl. 21-25, N.2o-25a]Dimensions:i6f X x}! inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:Tones of blue, buff, gray-violet, green and dark gray.Inscription in tablet at lower left:
"Iir\ atq; Excell""' D"' D"7Roberto D'ARCY,/Comiti de Holderneffe &c.&c. &c./Apud Serenijs Kemp: Venetam pro Mag:/Britan- Rege Legato Extra-ordinario.lHoc ncvijjime excogitatum Opus t7i humillimilohsequii tejtimoniumdedicabatj]. B. Jackfon.".1744.A copy in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has D'Arcy's coat-of-arms onthe entablature of the arch to the right with red and blue notes. The BritishMuseum has a copy with brownish-red touched in with water colors in theclothing of the men under the arch.Reichel reproduced this in full size and color (plate 98).MFA, MMA, BM, Venice39-Heroic Landscape With Sheep, Statues, and Gentlemen, after Marco Ricci[Le Bl. 21-25, N. 20-25b]Dimensions:16J X 13! inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:1744.Colors vary in different impressions.Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)MFA, BM, Venice40.Heroic Landscape tvith Fisherman, Cows, and Horsemen, after Marco Ricci[Le Bl. 2.1-15, N. io-i5c]Dimensions:163 X Z3 inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:Colors vary in different impressions,1744- MFA, MMA, Worcester, BM, V&A, Berlin-Dahlem, Venice, Brussels
85
41.Heroic Landscape ivith Cart and Goatherd, with S. Giorgio Maggiore in Back-groundj after Marco Ricci [Le Bl. xi-i5, N. zo-i5d]Dimensions:165 X Z3 inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:Colors vary in different impressions.1744- MFA, BM, Venice, Dresden
42.Heroic Landscape with Women at Brook, Child Fishing, and Herdsmen, afterMarco Ricci [Le Bl. ^1-15, N. 2.o-x5e]Dimensions:16J X Z3| inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:Colors vary in different impressions.1744-Reichel reproduced this in full size and color (plate 99).MMA, MFA, BM, Venice, Milan, Berlin-Dahlem
43-Heroic Landscape with Watering Place, Riders, and Obelisk, after Marco RicciDimensions:i6| X 13 1 inches.Blocks, 7 to 10:Colors vary in different impressions.1744- MFA, MMA, BM, V&A, Venice
44.Battle near Parma, after Francesco SimoniniDimensions:zo X 40 inches (two joined sheets)Blocks, 7 or 8:Buff, brown, light green, blue-green, light transparent red, deep red,dark gray.175Z.
86
The only known copy is in the British Museum. Tone has darkened andpaper is torn in parts. This print is described in the Enquiry. Jackson errone-ously referred to this artist as "Simonnetta." BM45-Ornamental Border with Fruitj Flowers, a7id Purple GrapesDimensions:G\ X 2.5I inches.Blocks, 4:Red, blue, yellow, green.Print for wallpaper. BM46.Ornamental Border with Fruit, Flowers, and Green GrapesDimensions:6f X Z5g inches.Blocks, 4:Red, blue, yellow and green.Print for wallpaper. BM47.Ornamental Frame with Flowers and FruitDimensions:14! X i8| inches.Blocks, 4:Red, blue, yellow, gray-green.Print for wallpaper.
48.Ornamental Frame with FruitDimensions:2-5i X i/i inches.Blocks, 4:Red, blue, yellow, gray-green.Print for wallpaper.
87
BM
BM
49-Ornamental Frame with Flowers atid Girl's HeadDimensions:16 X 18^ inches.Blocks, 4:Red, blue, yellow, green.Print for wallpaper. Central figure is described under No. 59. BM50.Dancing Nymph ivith Bow and ArrowsDimensions:III X 6| inches.Blocks, i:Olive green, black.Print for wallpaper. Probably cut by Jackson as a guide for his workshop.See Nos. 59-74. Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)
51-Bust oj DemocritusDimensions:9i X 7^ inches (sheet size).Blocks, 4:Buff, light gray, medium gray, dark gray.Plate from Jackson, An Essay on the Invention of Engraving and Printing inChiaro Oscuro, 1754.
The LionDimensions:9j X 7, inches.Blocks, 6:Yellow, red, light green, blue-gray, light gray, dark gray-green.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754. This subject was copied from plate34 of Giorgio Fossati, Raccolta di varie favole, Venice, 1744.
88
53-Building and VegetableDimensions:9I X 75 inches.Blocks, 6:Yellow, light green, light red, crimson, light gray, dark gray.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
54-Statue of ApolloDimensions:9I X 7I inches.Blocks, 4:Light buff, medium buff, gray, and dark gray.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
55-Th Farnese HerculesDimensions:9^ X 72 inches.Blocks, 4:Buff, greenish buff, gray, dark greenish gray.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
56.Antique Bust oj a M.anDimensions:9I X 7? inches.Blocks, 4:Buff, gray-brown, gray, dark greenish gray.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
89
57-Pheasant and Garden UrnDimensions:
<^\ X yj inches.Blocks, 7:Yellow, light green, warm gray, blue-gray, light red, crimson, dark gray-green.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
58.
P<.uin of Garden TempleDimensions:9j X 72 inches.Blocks, 7:Yellow, light green, warm gray, cold gray, light red, crimson, dark gray-green.Plate from Jackson, Essay . . . , 1754.
Jackson's Workshop
59-Woman Standing Holding Apron, after S. Le ClercDimensions:ii| X 65 inches (sheet size).Blocks, i:Deep red and pale green.Print for wallpaper. This figure appears in the center of the ornamentalframe. No. 49 in this catalog, in the British Museum impression. After aplate in the series of etchings by Sebastien Le Clerc, Les Figures h la mode,1685. The figure is reversed. BM
90
6oFemale Statue with Fruit and WheatDimensions:iij X 6j inches.Blocks, z:Deep red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia
6i.Female Statue with MaskDimensions:iij X 6| inches.Blocks, x:Deep red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia
62.Qjieen tvith Armor and Model oj BuildingDimensions:11} X 6J inches.Blocks, 2.:Deep red and pale green.Print for wallpaper. In the style of Villamena. Philadelphia
63-Apollo with LyreDimensions:iij X 6| inches.Blocks, z:Green and black. Also deep red and yellow^.Print for wallpaper. Smithsonian Institution (U.S. National Museum)Philadelphia
91
64-Woman with Shepherd's PipeDimensions:II J X 63 inches.Blocks, 2.:Deep red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia
65-Woman with Sheet of Music and HornDimensions:i\\ X 62 inches.Blocks, x:Deep red and pale green. Also red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia66.Woman with Pitcher and Apron, after S. Le ClercDimensions:II 5 X 63 inches.Blocks, z:Deep red and pale green.Print for wallpaper. After a plate in the series of 24 etchings by SebastienLe Clerc, Les Figures <J la ?node, 1685. The figure is reversed. Philadelphia67.Old Woman Standing, after S. Le ClercDimensions:iij X 6| inches.Blocks, i:Deep red and pale green.Print for wallpaper. After a plate in the series of 14 etchings by SebastienLe Clerc, Les Figures ^ la mode, 1685. The figure is reversed. Philadelphia
92
68.Lady with StaffDimensions:ii\ X 62 inches.Blocks, 2.:Deep red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia
69.Woman with Fruit and BasketDimensions:iij X 62 inches.Blocks, z:Deep red and pale green. Also red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. In the style of Villamena. BM
70.Woman with Branches and Incense BurnerDimensions:iij X 62 inches.Blocks, f.Deep red and pale green. Also red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. In the style of Villamena. BM
71-Woman with Flowers and VinesDimensions:iij X 62 inches.Blocks, i:Red and green. Also red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. In the style of Villamena. BM
93
72.Standing Wofnan, Head Turned to Kightj after WatteauDimensions:II X 5 inches.Blocks, i:Green and black.Print for wallpaper. After Boucher's etching after a drawing by Watteau(plate ii6 in Jean de Julienne's compilation of Watteau's work, Figures dedifferents caracteres, ca. 1740). MMA, Philadelphia, BM
73-Lady with Fan, after S. Le ClercDimensions:II X 45 inches.Blocks, x: 'Green and black.Print for wallpaper. After a plate in the series of 14 etchings by SebastienLe Clerc, Les Figures c\ la mode, 1685. The figure is reversed and the fan hasbeen shifted to the upper hand. MMA
74.Classical Female StatueDimensions:iij X <o\ inches.Blocks, -l:Deep red and yellow.Print for wallpaper. Philadelphia, MMA
94
75-Bcfy Looking DownDimensions:3x1 inches.Blocks, z:Light brown and black.Perhaps after Piazzetta. MFA, BM
76.Lady ivitb a FlowerDimensions:14I X iij inches.Blocks, 3
:
BufF, light brown, brown.Possibly after Kneller. Very weak and crude. BM, V&A
Unverified Subjects
11-The Annunciation, after ParmigianinoDimensions:6| X 4I inches.Blocks, 3:Tones of brown.This is listed as Jackson's in Gutekunst & Klipstein's catalogue 40, 1938.It is described as having "the initials and an engraved letter border," butwhether the initials are Jackson's or Parmigianino's is uncertain.
95
78.
Sf. Peter and St. Paul Surprised by the Executioner, after Titian[Le Bl. 17, N. 16]Le Blanc and Nagler list this print in addition to St. Peter Martyr, but mostlikely it is the same subject. The title might have been taken from a museumcatalogue which listed the identical print under a different title.
79-The Entombment, after Titian [Le Bl. 11]This is included in Le Blanc (J. C. mis au tomheati) but it seems likely thatit was confused with Bassano's identically titled subject.
80.Giovanni Gastro I De MediciThis is listed as a Jackson print in Berlin-Dahlem but has not been located.
81.
Elisabeth, Duchess of Hamilton, as a ShepherdessThis is catalogued as a Jackson print in the Dresden Kunstsammlungen butwas lost in the war.
96
The Chiaroscurosand Color Woodcuts ofJohn Baptist Jackson

9g|aQBa|E|IHS3Aw'SMtfW'
O(J
<u
Pi
oiMt-WP-(HOH
O
Xo
99
2. Venus and Cupid With a Bow, after Parmigianino (See also color plate)100
.^er.^lliuM, ac^ccclaro Vi/rv Joseph SmithS:?:Jachon 3CmmliterJ^edicatS5onat, et
'fculpjit //J/.
3. Woman Standing Holding Jar on Her Head, afterParmigianino
lOl
tiionuiuiu lyD.o.jHi
.fVako deftin nonScdjc,
' mac^narume myldtc
,
Ma le 'bellUdrne alle bcWopre ekttcSanno gioir jidUfatiche cccelfe,Nchiafmo pcpolanfrale catena, .SpirLo dvaoMilJuotamniin rajfmia.
5. Woman Meditating (St. Thais.-), after etching' by Parmigianino (See also colorplate)
in:
7- Bookplate
103
104
105
9- The Visitation, after Annibalc Carracci
io6
10. Julius Caesar, after Titian
T07
S. Roccp
II. St. Rocco, after Cheriihino Albert!
io8
12. Statuette of Neptune, after Giovanni da Bologna
109
no
<
z<
z<
III
JtankiandtpifcaUQlCp.Llalttnc^Extul y<nttiu uidcnioj. H^iiTil.Acceperunt erg-o Corpus JESU, 65 Jig-averunt illucl linteiscum Aromfilibiis, ficut mos eft Judoeis lepelire. i/w'^/'.xix.^^/.-xi
.^erillmtri ac ff^mcclaro ^J^^^
<dJ^nsiqne hoc Opus qffabir ^objiyuii 6s ai uti Clniini nioiut '^\%,
fe^Wv (7). cfosEPHO Smithf^ //? J^cjno codavlt,^ in jui
^ '"^ menUim hum'dikr dcuovet
13. Descent From the Cross, after Rembrandt (See also color plate)
112
i. ii- Lt i I Ui .. C,VD, LNVENlXaPlNXx.
i6. The Death of St. Peter Martyr, after Titian
113
?jUujiriisima, S^-Cmdito Iiro Carolo FrederickjPji'U CdGLLiRipmedarum JwcOpuj in^hrm 'miaero, iiier at lu/u ./IrfiuTn -^airvno,\codaAmi,mgTaliammiarya7iailMmhwmldcram
i-j. The Presentation- in the Temple (The Circumcision), after Veronese
114
<uI-.OG
zMOozzwIHu.Owu
wH
115
22. Th? Cruciuxion, afitr Tintoretto, led sheet (Sec also color plates)
n6 2. Till-: CuiK.inxioN, after 'rimoretto, center slieet (See also color plates)
22. The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto, right sheet (See also color plates)
117
19- The Entombment, after Jacopo Bassano
Ii8
20. Holy Family and Four Saints, after Veronese
119
21. The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine, after Veronese
120
\Tabdkun hanca Tjiian" "\jmimuni dtiimi, aiUukj
/iumiluit, c' '^
26. The Virgin in the Clouds and Six Saints, after Titian
121
23. Miracle of St. Mark, after Tintoretto, left sheet
122
23. Miracle of St. Mark, after Tintoretto, right sheet
123
24. The Makkiage at Cana. after Veronese, left sheet
124
24- The Marriage at Cana, after Veronese, right sheet
1^5
27. The Descent of the Holy Spirit, after Titian
126
28. The Finding of Moses, after Veronese
127
2q. The Raising of Lazarls, after Lcandro Bassano
128
31. Melchisedech Blessing Abraham, after Francesco Rassaiio
129
32. Dives and Lazarus (The Rich Man and Lazarus), after Jacopo Bassano, left sheet
130
32. Dives and Lazarus (The Rich Max and Lazarus), after Jacopo Bassano, right sheet
131
30. Christ on the Mount oi- Olu'es, after Jacopo Bassano
132
37- Lamentation Over the Body of Christ
133
^-"^^tme 1 ime wt.eri M.Aj-gerjson ijJDNEYaw^- Ambullador
^' cii that Couf%Monlie'M' Teju>on the ^YenchAmbaffador
' 'had the Conficteiu'eptear out of'the Book of Mtxtos
^^{accordinc^ to thc< Liberti/alwwg
?'?! iii^dwriitc/vaiU: ' J t-J^me Strun^eh^iVItijoi^ Mtc iiimica Tyrann
'^Knfe j:)eijt placidamfub Libertatetjiiietem.
' ThoLigliMcnJkurTerlon widtrftbod/rioCawLid(f''Lmn\hcu\7s told bu.cthorsrhe mcaaing drthutScnr
' 'terice. whuii li. ccnsiaemdctsa Libel : iipofi tneVrench
? 'Ga 'CIvmmtanil ui^:jmjuch ayvxis therLjcttLna iip in
^?dinP:a3.
33. Algernon Sidney, after Justus Verus
134
34- Antique Bust of Woman
135
25. Preskn I ATi.)N. OF THE VmciN IN THE Tempee, after Titian, left dlicet ^5. f'REsENTATioN ill iHE ViK<,iN IN THE [ EMi>i I , alter litiaii, ceiUcr >lieet
'36
25. Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, after Titian, right sheet
137
35- Lovers (facing right), perhaps after Piazzetta
138
2)6. Lovers (woman full face), perhaps after Piazzetta
139
oI
<-4-l
C<^uUQz<zop<u
<az<
o
140
os
z
wJHZu
H<:(-
MMXC/5
w<oQZ<
oPiw
ON
141
zwSw
z<
<
<uQz
142
oQzDOOSoo<
asO3
a
z<acswI<OOQz<
(1.<oQ2<
O
143
zz<
z
o5o
oco:K
o
w<uQz<J
144
"a,
oo
lUCO
Pi
QZ<
OSwQ
<
oz5uH
&<:ot/5Qz
oa:
145
o
'y5
tu
<
146
V5O
<
147
;\ mTi?5?>-
:^'^
?ifi--
^
'W(
(<C?
la0\
J
Q
e
/;
as
as
a<
>
^4t< 3
f 'i"
a!
O03J<Z
>: QPSoJ<
<zO ^ z6
^' VJ liT/i :fM.
148
47- Ornamental Fkami With Flowers and Fruit
149
^H. Ornamental Frame With Fruit
150
49- Ornamental Frame With Flowers and Girl's Head (See also color plate)59. Woman Standing Holding Apron, after S. Le Clerc151
50. Dancing Nvmph With Bow and Arrows
152
51. Bust of Democritus
153
52. The Lion
53- Building and Vegetable (Sec also color plate)
155
54- Statue of Apollo
156
55- The Farnese Hercules
15:
56, Antique Bust of a Man
158
4 ''H,
,,?.x^?U,\VVV.^^^
57. Pheasant and Garden Urn
159
58. Ruin of Garden Temple
160
6o. Female Statue With Fruit and Wheat 6i. Female Statue With Mask
i6i
62. Queen With Armor and Model ofBuilding 63. Afollo With Lyre
162
64. Woman With Shepherd's Pipe 65. Woman With Sheet oe Music and Horn
163
()(). Woman With Pitcher and Apron,
after S. Le Clerc 67. Old Woman Standing, after S. Le Clerc
164
6(S. Lady With StaM' 6ij. Woman With Fruit and Basket
165
70. Woman With Branches and IncenseBurner 71. Woman With Flowers and Vines
166
72. Standing Woman, Head Turned toRight, after Watteau 73. Lady With Fan, after S. Le Clcrc
16:
74- Classical Female Statue
1 68
76. Lady With a Flower
169
75- Boy Lookinc Down
170
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anonymous. An Enquiry into the Origins of Printing in Europe, by a Lover of Art.London, 175^.A rewrite of Jackson's manuscript journal, with some sections quoted ver-batim. The artist's career from about 17^5 to 1752. is described. The mostimportant biographical source and a I'are book.AuDiN, M. Essai sitr les graveurs de hois en France au dix-huitieme siecle. Paris,19^5' PP- 99-102..Contains a section listing many books illustrated by Jackson in Paris, mostlyin later editions.Baverel, p. Notices sur les graveurs, Besangon, 1807, vol. i, pp. 341-341.Benezit, E. Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs, & graveurs. Paris,1924 (ist ed. 1913), vol. 1, p. 693.Bewick, Thomas. Alemoir of Thomas Beivick, Written by Himself, i8ii-i8i8. NewYork, 1915 (ist ed., 1861), pp. xi3-ii4.Mentions meeting Jackson in advanced age, about 1777. The book containsmuch personal reminiscence and observation on life but little concrete detailfor the student.BiGMORE, E. C. and Wyman, C. W. H. A Bibliography of Printing. London,1880-1886, vol. I, pp. 2.01, 365.The most extensive annotated listing of books relating to printing. Has adescription of Jackson's Essay.Brulliot, F. Dictionnaire des monogrammes . Munich, 1832.-1834, vol. i, Nos.1x88, 1351, 1535.Bryan, M. Dictionary of Painters and Engravers. London and New York, 1904(ist ed. 1816), vol. 3, p. 99.The most comprehensive biographical dictionary of artists in the Englishlanguage.Burch, R. M. Colour Printing and Colour Printers. London, 1910, pp. 72.-77.The most comprehensive general survey, but with more than occasionalinaccuracies. There is a lack of sensitivity in art matters. These comments applyalso to the section on Jackson.
171
Chatto, W., and Jackson, J. ATreatise on Wood-Engraving. London, 1861 (ist.ed. 1839), pp. 453-457.The classic work on the subject; scholarly, objective, and voluminously il-lustrated. Has the fullest early account of Jackson and is the basis for most laterstudies of the artist.CusT, L. "John Baptist Jackson," Dktionary of 'National Biography. New Yorkand London, 1885-1900, vol. i.^, p. 100.De Boni, F. Biografia degli artisti. Venice, 1840, p. 499.DoNKELL, Edna. "The Van Rensselaer Wall Paper and J. B. Jackson?A Study inDisassociation." Metropolitan Museum Studies, 1932., vol. 4, pp. 77-108.The most scholarly study of Jackson's wallpaper career. Shows, by an exami-nation of styles, that Jackson could not have made the wallpapers indiscrimi-nately attributed to him.DuPLESsis, G. Histoire de la gravure. Paris, 1880, pp. 314-315.Entwisle, E. a. The Book of Wallpaper. London, 1954, pp. 65-67, 76.Contains new information on wallpaper manufacturers in London during the1 8th century, some of it bearing on Jackson.Fkankau, J. Eighteenth-Century Colour-Prints. London, 1907, pp. 41-46.Has an appreciative section on Jackson, highly romanticized.FriecLANDER, M. J. Der Holz.schnitt: Handbiicher der Staatlichen Museen Xft Berlin.Berlin and Leipzig, 1916 (ist ed. 1917), pp. 2.14-116.FuESSLi, J. C. Kaisonirendes Verzeichniss der vornehmsten Kupferstecher. Zurich,I77i> PP- 353-354-FuRST, H. The Modern Woodcut. New York, 1914, pp. 88, 99.A fine general survey, although judgments are occasionally dogmatic.Gallo, R. L'Incisioni nel 'joo a Venecia e a Bassano. Venice, 1941, pp. 11-13.A solid study containing some new material on the artists of the period.GoRi Gandellini, G. Notizie Istoriche degVIntagliatori. Siena, 1771, vol. 1, p. 156.GusMAN, P. La Gravure sur bois et d'epargne sur metal du XIV' au XX" siecle.Paris, 1916, pp. 31, 164-165, 193, 151.Hardie, Martin. English Coloured Books. New York and London, 1906, pp. 19-17.While a brief but sensitive account of Jackson is given, the main emphasisis on the Essay as an illustrated book.Heinecken, C .H. VON. Idee generale d'une collection complette destampes. Leipzigand Vienna, 1771, p. 94.
172
Heller, J. Geschichte der Holzschjzeidekunst . Bamberg, 1813, pp. i.<^'^--L'^G .Praktisches Handbuch fiir K.upferstichsammler. Leipzig, 1850, p. 334.Lists 10 chiaroscuros by Jackson.Heller, J., and Andresen, A. Handbuch fiir Kupferstichsammler. Leipzig, 1S70,voL I, pp. 706-707.Lists II prints by Jackson.HuBER, M. Notices ghierales des graveurs et des pintres. Dresden, 1787, pp.676, 698.HuBER, M., and Rost, C. C. Handbuch fiir Kunstliebhaber und Sammler. Zurich,1808, voL 9, pp. 119-131.HuBER, M., Rost, C. C, and Martini, C. G. Manuel des curieux et des ama-teurs d'art. Zurich, 1797-1808, voL 9, pp. 111-1x3.First catalog of Jackson's work; lists 10 titles.Jackson, John Baptist. An Essay on the Invention of Engraving and Printing in ChiaroOscuro, as Practised by Albert Durer, Hugo di Carpi, &c., and the Application of It tothe Making Paper Hangings of Taste, Duration, and Elegance. London, 1754.Written by Jackson to promote his wallpapers, it repeats some of his asser-tions in the Enquiry but gives little detail concerning his career. It is importantas an illustrated book and as an early document in the history of wallpaper. Theprints have suffered from the use of an inferior oil vehicle.Kainen, Jacob. "John Baptist Jackson and his Chiaroscuros." Printing andGraphic Arts, vol. 4, no. 4, 1956, pp. 85-91.An excerpt from the present work, then in progress, in a different version.Kreplin, B. C. "John Baptist Jackson," in Thieme, U., and Becker, F., Allge-meines Lexikon der Bildenden Kiinstler. Leipzig, 1907-1950, vol. 18, pp. zz^-zx^.The most comprehensive biographical dictionary of artists. Has a good articleon Jackson and a small bibliography.Le Blanc, C. Manuel de Vamateur d'estampes. Paris, 1854-1888, vol. x, p. 416.Particularly valuable for its catalogs of the w^ork of engravers. With Nagler,contains the largest listing of Jackson's prints.Levis, H. C. A Descriptive Bibliography of Books in English Relating to Engravingand the Collection of Prints. London, 191X, pp. i8x-i84.Lewis, C. T. C. The Story of Picture Printing in England During the Igth Century; orForty Years of Wood and Stone. London, 1918, pp. z, 2.1, i6, 34, 40, 43, 195.Written in an oppressively popular style with emphasis on Baxter and LeBlond. Jackson is mentioned often but sketchily as the distant ancestor of
"picture printing."
Linton, W. The Masters of Wood Engraving. London, 1889, p. 114.Discusses the subject from the standpoint of a late-i9th-century technician.Nevertheless is open-minded, if slightly superior, about the chiaroscurowoodcut.LoNGHi, G. Catalogo dei piu celebri intagliatori in legno ed in rame. Milan, 18 2.1,p. 51.Maberly, J. The Print Collector. London, 1844, p. 130.The first American edition, New York, 1880, edited by Robert Hoe, copies theannotated description of the Essay from Bigmore and Wyman.McClelland, N. Historic Wall-Papers. Philadelphia and London, 192.4, pp. 47,79, 141-154, 165, 3M-3^9' 4^3-Makes many references to Jackson, largely inaccurate.MiREUR, H. Dictiofinaire des ventes d' art fait en France. Paris, 1911-191L, vol. 4,p. 13.MiJLLER, F., and Klunzinger, K. Die Kiinstler Aller Zeiten und Volker. 1857-1864,vol. 2., p. 430.MiJLLER, H. A., MiJLLER, H. W., and Singer, H. W. Allgemeines Kiinstler-Lexicon.Frankfurt, 1895-1901, vol. x, p. 140.Nagler,G.K. Allgemeines Kiinstler-Lexicon. Munich. 1835-51, vol. 6, pp. 383-384.The most extensive of all dictionaries of artists up to the time of Thieme andBecker, q.v. With Le Blanc, has the fullest catalog of Jackson's prints.Die Monogrammisten, Munich, 1858-1879, vol. 3, pp. 730, 836.Oman, C.C. Catalogue of Wall-Papers. London, Victoria and Albert Museum,1919, pp. 14-15, 33.A good historical account which includes Jackson's contributions to the riseof scenic wallpaper.Pallucchini, Rodolfo, Mostra degli incisori Veneti del settecento. Venice, 1941, ed.1, pp. 16, 103-104.Catalog of the exhibition held in Venice in 1941.Papillon, J. M. Traits historique et pratique de la gravure en bois. Paris, 1766,vol. I, pp. 32.3-3x4, 3^7-3^9' 415-Contains personal recollections of Jackson and his career in France. The bookis valuable as the first technical treatise on the woodcut, but the historicalsection is notoriously inaccurate and heavily weighted with Papillon's prejudices.Percival, MacIver. "Jackson of Battersea and his Wall Papers." The Connois-
seur, 192.1, vol. 61, pp. 15-36.
174
Redgrave, S. Dictionary of Artists of the English School. London, 1874, p. 1.2.-J.Reichel, Anton. Die Clair-Obscur-Schnitte des XVI., XVII. und XVIII. Jahr-hunderts. Zurich, Leipzig, and Vienna, 1916, p. 48.The finest work on chiaroscuro, with 100 magnificent facsimile illustrationsin color, fully described, and black-and-white illustrations in the text. Repro-duces two of Jackson's Ricci prints in actual size and color.Savage, W. Practical Hints on Decorative Printing. London, i8ii, pp. 15-16.Savage was the first writer to acknowledge Jackson's contributions to colorprinting, although he was critical of his inks. The book attempts to show,through examples, that color printing from woodblocks is practical for avariety of purposes.Smith, J. The Printers Grammar. London, 1755, p. 136.Spooner, S. Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors & Architects. New York,1853, vol. I, pp. 410-411.Strutt, J. Dictionary of Engravers. London, 1785-86, vol. x, p. 41.Sugden, a. v., and Edmondson, J.L. A History of English Wallpaper. NewYork and London, 19x5, pp. 61-71.The most thorough book on the subject although the treatment of Jacksonis narrowly confined, like most wallpaper books, to his shortcomings as adecorator for elegant homes.Walpole, Horace. Anecdotes of Painting in England. A Catalogue of Engravers whoHave Been Born, or Resided in England. Digested from the Manuscript of George Vertue.London, 1765 (ist ed. 1761), p. 3.Important as the first compilation on this subject.The Letters of Horace Walpole. Edited by Mrs. Paget Toynbee, Oxford, 1903-05, vol. 3, p. i66.Weigel, R. Kmistlagercatalog. Leipzig, 1837-1866, vol. i, pp. 103, 105; vol. 4,p. 51.Wick, Peter A. Suite of Six Color Woodcuts of Heroic Landscapes by John BaptistJackson after Marco Ricci. 1955, ix pp.Manuscript read at the XVIII Congres International d'Histoire de L'Art,Venice, Sept. ix-i8, 1955. The first good, scholarly study of the Ricci prints.Traces Jackson's career briefly but accurately.Y. D. Historical Remarks on Cutting in Wood. The Gentleman s Magazine, Feb-ruary 175X, vol. XX, pp. 78-79.The first published statement of Jackson's contribution as a woodcutter.
175
Zanetti, a. M. Delia pittura vene%iana. Venice, 1791 (ist ed. 1771), vol. 1, pp. 689,716. Zanetti was the librarian of St. Marie's and the nephew of the famouschiaroscurist.Zani, D. p. Encidopedia metodica delle belle arti. Parma, i8i7-X4, vol. 11, p. 47.Zanotto, F. Nuovissimo guida di Venecia. Venice, 1856, p. 310, note 3.
176
INDEX TO PLATES
I. Chrisf Giving the Keys to St. Peter,after Raphael, 55 (color), 99L. Venus and Cupid with a Bow, afterParmigianino, 56 (color) 1003 . Woman Standing Holding Jar on HtrHead, after Parmigianino,lOI5. Woman Meditating QSt. ThaisT),after Parmigianino, 57(color), loi6. Ulysses and Polyphemus, after Pri-maticcio, 1047. Bookplate, 1038. Judgment of Solomon, after Rubens,1059. The Visitation, after Annibale Car-racci, 10610. Julius Caesar, after Titian, 10711. St. Rocco, after Cherubino Albert!
,
108li. Statuette of Neptune, after Giovannida Bologna, 10913. Descent from the Cross, after Rem-brandt, 58 (color), I IX14. Christ and the Woman of Samaria,no15. Romulus and Remus, Wolf and SeaGod, III16. The Death of St. Peter Martyr, afterTitian, 11317. The Presentation in the Temple (TheCircumcision), after Vero-nese, 11418. The Massacre of the Innocents, afterTintoretto, 115
19. The Entombment, after Jacopo Bas-sano, 118lo. Holy Family and Pour Saints, afterVeronese, 1192.1 . The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine,after Veronese, 12.0IX. The Crucifixion, after Tintoretto,left sheet, 64 (color), 116center sheet, 37 (proof of keyblock), 64 (color), 116right sheet, 65 (color), 11713. Miracle of St. Alark, after Tinto-retto, left sheet, 11.2.right sheet, 1x3X4. The Marriage at Cana, after Vero-nese, left sheet, 1x4right sheet, 1x5X5. Presentation of the Virgin in theTemple, after Titian, leftsheet, 136center sheet, 136right sheet, 137x6. The Virgin in the Clouds and SixSaints, after Titian, ixiX7. The Descent of the Holy Spirit, afterTitian, 1x6
x8. The Finding of Moses, after Vero-nese, 1x7X9. The Raising of Lazarus, after Lean-dro Bassano, 1x830. Christ on the Mount of Olives, afterJacopo Bassano, 38 (keyblock), 13X3 1 . Melchisedech Blessing Abraham, afterFrancesco Bassano, 1x9177
32.. Dives and La'::jxrus (The Rich Manand Lazarus), after JacopoBassano, left sheet, 130right sheet, 13133. Algernon Sidney, after Justus Veiois,13434. Antique Bust of Woman, 13535. Lovers (facing right), perhaps afterPiazzetta, 13836. Lovers (woman full face), perhapsafter Piazzetta, 13937. Lamentation Over the Body of Christ,
38. Heroic Landscape With Dedicationand Classical Ruins, afterMarco Ricci, 14039. Heroic Landscape With Sheep,Statues, and Gentlemen, afterMarco Ricci, 14140. Heroic Landscape With Fisherman,Cows, and Horsemen, afterMarco Ricci, 40 (color), 41(color, detail), 14141. Heroic Landscape with Cart andGoatherd, with S . GiorgioMaggiore in Background, afterMarco Ricci, 14341. Heroic Landscape with Women atBrook, Child Fishing, andHerdsmen, after Marco Ricci,14443. Heroic Landscape with Wateri)2gPlace, Riders, and Obelisk,after Marco Ricci, 59(color), 14544. Battle near Parma, after FrancescoSimonini, 146, 147 (detail)45. Ornamental Border with Fruit, Flow-
ers, and Purple Grapes, 148
46. Ornamental Border with Fruit.Flowers, and Green Grapes,14847. Ornamental Frame with Flotvers andFruit, 14948. Ornamental Frame luith Fruit, 15049. Ornamental Frame with Flowers andGirl' s Head, 62. (color), 15150. Dancing Nymph ivith Boiv and Ar-rows, 152.51. Bust of Democritus, 15351. The Lion, 15453. Building and Vegetable, 63 (color),15554. Statue of Apollo, 15655. The Farnese Hercules, 15756. Antique Bust of a M.an, 15857. Pheasant and Garden Urn, 15958. Ruin of Garden Temple, 16059. Woman Standing Holding Apron,after S. Le Clerc, 6i (color),
60. Female Statue luith Fruit and Wheat
,
16161. Female Statue with Mask, 16162.. Queen ivith Armor and Model ofBuilding, 162.63. Apollo with Lyre, 162.64. Woman with Shepherd' s Pipe, 16365. Woman with Sheet of Music andHorn, 16366. Woman ivith Pitcher and Apron,after S. Le Clerc, 16467. Old Woman Standing, after S. LeClerc, 16468. Lady with Staff, 16569. Woman with Fruit and Basket, 16570. Woman with Branches and IncenseBurner, 166178
yi. Wofnan with Flotvers and Vines, i66 74. Classical Female Statue, 168
JT.. Standing Woman, Head Turned to 75. Boy Looking Down, 170Right, after Watteau, 167 76. Lady with a Flower, 16973. L^^J* ^'''^^^-' F'^?, after S. Le Clerc,167
179

INDEX
Alberti, Cherubino, 30Albrizzi, G. B., z6, z8, 19Altdorfer, Albrecht, 3611Andreani, Andrea, 10, 11, ixn, 31,45Annison, M., xz
Baglioni, zy, z^Baldung, Hans, 10Bartolozzi, Francesco, 4Bassano, Jacopo, 32.Baxter, George, 67Beccafumi, Domenico, 10Berghem, Nicolaes, 45Bewick, Thomas, 5, ^n, 16, 17, zS, 35,49' 50Bibbia del Nkolosi, z6Biblia Sacra (published by Hertz), i8Bloemart, Abraham, xiCornelius, liFrederick, xiBoldrini, Niccolo, 11Bologna, Giovanni da, 31Book of St. Albans, 7Brand, Thomas, 48Bromwich, Thomas, 42.Burgkmair, Hans, 10Businck, Ludolph, 11, i8, 45Cabinet Crozart, xi, zt,Callot, Jacques, 4, 18, 30Campagnola, Domenico, 44Canaletto, 45Carpi, Ugo da, 10, 11, z'y, z6, 41, 44, 45,51, 5^Carracci, Agostino, 3inCaslon, William, 16
Caylus, Anne Claude Phillipe, Countde, XX, X3, x8Chinese woodcuts, 36, 68Coriolano, Bartolomeo, 11, 45Giovanni Battista, 11Coypel, Charles, x8Cranach, Lucas, 9Croxall's Aesop's Fables, 14, 15, 31Crozat, Pierre, xx, X3, 48D'Arcy, Robert, 35Darley, Matthias, 4XDunbar, Robert, 30Robert, Jr., 4X, 48Diirer, Albrecht, 4, 9n, 41, 44, 5XEaton, Edward, 49Ecman, Edouard, 30Edwards, George, 5n
"Ekwitz," 14Elliot, Sir Gilbert, 50Enquiry into the Origins of Printing inEurope (publication), 41Essay on the Invention of Engraving andPrinting in Chiaro Oscuro (publi-cation), 43Faldoni, Giovanni Antonio, 30Farsetti, Filippo, x6, X7Frangois, J. C, 54Frederick, Charles, 31Fougeron, John, 49Gauguin, Paul, 4, 54George III, 31Goltzius, Hendrick, 11Hubert, xx, X9, 45181
Goya, Francesco, 4Guardi, Francesco, 46Gubitz, Frederich W., 67
Hogarth, William, 17Hollis, Thomas, 48, 49
Istoria del Testamenta Vecchio e Nuovo, 1.6
Jackson, John Baptistcontributions to chiaroscuro andcolor woodcut, 5, 6, ix, 68critical opinions of his work,7, 51-54first work in chiaroscuro, 11, 11,
2-3birth, 14training, 14, 15early work in London, 15, 17arrival in Paris, 17association with Papillon, i8-xiassociation with de Caylus andCrozat, zz, ^3Papillon's criticism of Jackson,19, iOarrival in Venice, i5association with Zanetti, Z5, z6first chiaroscuros in Venice, z6first chiaroscuro reproducing apainting, z.jearly plans for wallpaper, 30influence of line engraving, 19, 30association with Joseph Smith,30' 3I' 3^production of the Venetian set,3i'3^. 33production of the Ricci set, hisfirst prints in full color, 33, 35,
use of embossing, 33, 36
marriage, 40return to England, 40designs for calico, 40career as a maker of wallpaper,40-50publication of An Enquiry into theOrigins of Printing in Europe, 41publication of An Essay on theInvention of Engraving and Print-ing in Chiaro Oscuro, 43pioneer of scenic wallpaper, 46, 47album ascribed to him, 48collapse of wallpaper venture, 48.49meeting with Bewick, 49, 59last days, 50Walpole's criticism, 51Janinet, Jean Frangois, 4Japanese woodcuts, 4, 33n, 36Jegher, Christoffel, 11Jones, Inigo, 46
Kirkall, Elisha, 5, 11, 14, 15, 12., 33,41Knapton, George, 33Lallemand, George, 11, i8Lancret, Nicolas, 47Le Blon, Jacob Christoph, 36, 39Le Clerc, Sebastien, 18, 19, 30Le Sueur, Nicolas, 11, xx, i3, i8, 45Vincent, 11, 18, X3, 45Lethieullier, Smart, 31Lewis, John, 2.3, 15Liber selectarum ca72tionum, Senfel, 7nLorrain, Claude, 45Mantegna, Andrea, iinMariette, Pierre-Jean, 15, x6, i8Mattaire's Latin Classics, 14, 31182
Mellan, Claude, 30Moreelse, Paulus, 11Moretti, Giuseppe Maria, 15, 45Munch, Edvard, 4, 54Negker, Jost de, 10Nevvdigate, Sir Roger, 32.0
Pannini, Giovanni Paolo, 45, 46, 47Papillon, Jean (father of J. M.), 19,il, 2.1Jean Michel, 6, 14, 15, 18, 19, 2.0,zi, ii, 13, Z4, z8, 35Parmigianino, 10, xx, x6, 44Pasquali, J. B., 31, 40Pezzana, 17, 2.8, 19Piranesi, Giovanni Battista, 46Pond, Arthur, 33Poussin, Nicolas, 45Raphael, 10, 11, ii, 2.3, 44Ratdolt, Erhard, 7nRembrandt, 4, 31, 31Ricci, Marco, 6, 35, 36, 46, 47, 53Robert, P. P. A., zzRomano, Giulio, 11, Z3Rosa, Salvator, 45Rubens, Peter Paul, Z7
Sadeler, Egidius, Z9Salviati, Francesco, 44Savage, William, 67Simonini, Francesco (erroneouslycalled "Simonnetta"), 4Z
Skippe, John, 68nSmith, Joseph, 30, 31Suetonius' LJves of the Twelve Caesars,
Swaine, J. B., 49
Tintoretto, 3ZTitian, 11, Z9, 3Z, 44Traite histortque et pratique de la gravureen hois, 6, 14, 19, zo, ziTrento, Antonio da, 10
"Urban, Sylvanus," 41
Vallotton, Felix, 4Velasquez, 4ZVcrnet, Claude Joseph, 47Veronese, 5ZVerus, Justus, 45Vicentino, Giuseppe Niccolo, 10, 44Villamena, Francesco, 30Vouet, Simon, 11
Wallpaper, first use in England, 40Walpole, Horace, 8, 31, 51Ward, Dr. John, 49Wechtlin, Hans, 10Weiditz, Hans, 7nWhistler, James M., 5nWouwerman, Philips, 45Wrey, Sir Bouchier, 3zn
Zanetti, Count Antonio Maria, 11,i5'^6, 45Zuccarelli, Francesco, 46
183






SMITHSONIAN INSTrruTlON LI!
iliMninlnlllilillllillllllll3 9088 01421 3110