Elioth Gruner's drypoint, “The Pines”, 1919

Elioth Gruner (1882–1939)

“The Pines”, 1919

Drypoint printed with brown ink and plate tone on ivory wove paper in an edition of 27 impressions, signed in pencil by the artist with the edition number and title.

Size: (sheet) 30.1 x 25.6 cm; (plate) 16.9 x 13.8 cm.

Inscribed in pencil below the plate mark: (left) “No. 27” (Note: the “7” reveals an overwritten amendment to the number “6” originally inscribed); (centre) “The Pines”; (right) “E Gruner”.

See the description of this print offered by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney):

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/266.1990/

In this description, Anne Ryan (2007) offers the following insights about Gruner’s prints:

“Elioth Gruner produced only a few prints, all drypoints, possibly inspired by the work of his friend Norman Lindsay, or by a small etching sent to him by Hans Heysen. Gruner liked the feathery, romantic quality of line made using the drypoint method, as well as the directness with which it can be made on a plate, which suited his practice of working en plein air. He would occasionally print a plate using different quantities and wiping of ink, to create a different effects of light in the printed images.”

(Anne Ryan [2007], “Australian Etchings and Engravings 1880s–1930s from the Gallery's Collection”, Sydney, AGNSW)

Condition: richly inked, sensitively wiped and well-printed impression with generous margins laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. The sheet is in a very good condition with a few restored pin holes and tiny fractures (virtually invisible), but there are no tears, folds, significant stains beyond a few dots at the outer edge and there is pale age toning.

I am selling this darkly glowing and exceptionally rare drypoint for AU$1650 in total (currently US$1135.50/EUR1025.13/GBP907.89 at the time of posting this print) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this small masterpiece of Australian printmaking capturing Gruner’s love for contre-jour compositions (i.e. scenes where the light source is directly behind the subject), please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold