The Illustrated Bartsch
Encyclopedia
The Illustrated Bartsch is an extensive compendium of European master prints and commentary, published by the Abaris Books
imprint of OPAL Publishing Corporation. Based on the 24 volume list, Le Peintre-Graveur
, composed by Count Adam von Bartsch
in the eighteenth century, the Bartsch has maintained its position as the premier reference work in the field of European master prints for over 40 years. The Illustrated Bartsch consists of images of European master prints
from around 1400 until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution
, around 1850. This 450 year span details the origins of printmaking, from entirely manually created and pulled prints, to the introduction of mechanical printing presses and photography.
The cooperation and contribution of many of the worlds finest art historians have helped the work maintain its relevance as an art reference manual by reflecting the ongoing progress of scholarship. The continual evolution of art history and scholarship provide new additions and attributions (as well as de-attributions), which have caused the project to grow exponentially. Bartsch's original 24 volume list has grown to over 100 volumes under the Abaris Books imprint, which is presently (as of 2010) compiling further volumes.
. While an earlier attempt at producing an illustrated edition of Le Peintre-Graveur was abandoned after a single volume, TIB is now (as of 2010) in 104 volumes and growing. it is certainly the most intensive and complete effort made toward the project. After Strauss' death in 1988, Abaris Books was made an imprint of OPAL Publishing Corporation, which continues to produce volumes under his General Plan. Commentary volumes complete the catalogues raissonés
of artists named in Le Peintre-Graveur. Supplementary volumes present the collections of artists not indexed in the original list.
, and are referred to as “picture atlases.” Abaris Books coined this term in the General Plan to refer to the volumes which illustrate the original list of painter-engravers. While "picture atlases" are notable in their faithful presentation of Bartsch's list, time and scholasticism have ascertained accuracies and inaccuracies in the attributions made by Bartsch.
“All the prints known to Bartsch are illustrated in the first fifty volumes...Prints not known to Bartsch, or not listed by him, will be illustrated in companion volumes. These will include commentaries on the prints...as well as new attributions wherever required. Bartsch's sequence of artists and subjects has been retained.”
Commentary volumes expand and augment individual “Picture Atlases” with new progress of art scholarship. Emphasizing new attributions, de-attributions, additional states, and copies (among others) maintains the usefulness and pertinence of the historical art collection as scholastic reference works.
Abaris Books
Abaris Books is a scholarly publishing house based in Norwalk, Connecticut, which produces authoritative art reference books. Abaris is renowned for its definitive collections of titles in art history and other subjects, and for its cataloguing of renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt...
imprint of OPAL Publishing Corporation. Based on the 24 volume list, Le Peintre-Graveur
Peintre-graveur
Peintre-graveur is a term probably invented and certainly popularized by the great scholar of the old master print, Adam Bartsch...
, composed by Count Adam von Bartsch
Adam Bartsch
Johann Adam Bernhard von Bartsch was an Austrian scholar and artist. His catalogue of Old master prints is the foundation of the Art History of printmaking, and he was himself a printmaker in engraving and etching....
in the eighteenth century, the Bartsch has maintained its position as the premier reference work in the field of European master prints for over 40 years. The Illustrated Bartsch consists of images of European master prints
Old master print
An old master print is a work of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition . A date of about 1830 is usually taken as marking the end of the period whose prints are covered by this term. The main techniques concerned are woodcut, engraving and etching, although there are...
from around 1400 until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, around 1850. This 450 year span details the origins of printmaking, from entirely manually created and pulled prints, to the introduction of mechanical printing presses and photography.
The cooperation and contribution of many of the worlds finest art historians have helped the work maintain its relevance as an art reference manual by reflecting the ongoing progress of scholarship. The continual evolution of art history and scholarship provide new additions and attributions (as well as de-attributions), which have caused the project to grow exponentially. Bartsch's original 24 volume list has grown to over 100 volumes under the Abaris Books imprint, which is presently (as of 2010) compiling further volumes.
History
Walter L. Strauss's General Plan for The Illustrated Bartsch was drawn up in the early 1970s, and the first edition of the collection (Netherlandish Artists) was published in 1978 under Strauss' own publishing company, Abaris BooksAbaris Books
Abaris Books is a scholarly publishing house based in Norwalk, Connecticut, which produces authoritative art reference books. Abaris is renowned for its definitive collections of titles in art history and other subjects, and for its cataloguing of renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt...
. While an earlier attempt at producing an illustrated edition of Le Peintre-Graveur was abandoned after a single volume, TIB is now (as of 2010) in 104 volumes and growing. it is certainly the most intensive and complete effort made toward the project. After Strauss' death in 1988, Abaris Books was made an imprint of OPAL Publishing Corporation, which continues to produce volumes under his General Plan. Commentary volumes complete the catalogues raissonés
Catalogue raisonné
The typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
of artists named in Le Peintre-Graveur. Supplementary volumes present the collections of artists not indexed in the original list.
Picture Atlases
The first 48 volumes of The Illustrated Bartsch present every master print in Adam von Bartsch's Le Peintre-GraveurPeintre-graveur
Peintre-graveur is a term probably invented and certainly popularized by the great scholar of the old master print, Adam Bartsch...
, and are referred to as “picture atlases.” Abaris Books coined this term in the General Plan to refer to the volumes which illustrate the original list of painter-engravers. While "picture atlases" are notable in their faithful presentation of Bartsch's list, time and scholasticism have ascertained accuracies and inaccuracies in the attributions made by Bartsch.
Commentary Volumes
Commentary volumes are important with special consideration to the continuously expanding field of art history, as they list master prints unknown to or excluded by Bartsch:“All the prints known to Bartsch are illustrated in the first fifty volumes...Prints not known to Bartsch, or not listed by him, will be illustrated in companion volumes. These will include commentaries on the prints...as well as new attributions wherever required. Bartsch's sequence of artists and subjects has been retained.”
Commentary volumes expand and augment individual “Picture Atlases” with new progress of art scholarship. Emphasizing new attributions, de-attributions, additional states, and copies (among others) maintains the usefulness and pertinence of the historical art collection as scholastic reference works.