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Temperamental!: Prints in the Collection of Bryn Mawr College

Checklist of the Exhibition

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Dressed in military costume and with a sword at his hip, Napoleon poses confidently in the comfort of his study. Napoleon was known for his choleric nature, yet like Suyderhoef’s peasant above right, he also rests his right hand inside the opening of his jacket. This detail may appear odd, but it can be explained by the subject's social class. In depictions of peasants, this phlegmatic gesture was used to signify laziness. However, in depictions of the ruling class, the same gesture adopts the positive associations of temperance, leisure, and calm. Used in a depiction of Napoleon, the gesture may also be an ironic allusion to the subject's relatively low birth.
While Symbolist artists of this period tend to focus on Salomé’s role in the death of John the Baptist, it was her mother Hérodias who ordered his beheading after he criticized her marriage to Herod. These artists, including Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, and Aubrey Beardsley, prefer to romanticize the dangerous but feminine allure of Salomé’s dance, rather than her mother’s more masculine, murderous rage as characteristic of the femme fatale. Rouffio, however, like Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) in his novella Hérodias (1877), shifts attention from the youthful daughter to Hérodias herself. His Hérodias reclines seductively, clutching her marital pillow and stroking the hair of the beheaded victim—an unnervingly calm, yet vengeful choleric. He discovers room for Hérodias to retain her femininity and depicts her as the femme fatale of this story.

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Lynd Ward (American, 1905-1985), Preachers (1943). Mezzotint; published as no. 627 in Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch, 1469-1536) Moriae encomium, or, The Praise of Folly (New York: Limited Editions Club, 1943); 2012.27.189. Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine. The subject of Lynd Ward’s modern mezzotint would have been familiar to the early modern viewer—the depiction of Christian preachers as combative and quicktempered. Set in a smoky, nocturnal scene, the gaping mouths of the preachers mirror the hole of the hollow tree behind them, perhaps suggesting an equal emptiness in their speech. In contrast to the choleric preacher, who has transgressed by mistaking his own righteousness for God’s, the subject of The Four Horsemen in Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut would not have been characterized as choleric. Although the representation of the four charging figures is certainly formidable, the type of anger they embodied was considered divine, and therefore justified.
Jacques Philippe Le Bas (French, 1707-1873), after Carel van Falens (Flemish, 1683-1733); Departure for the Hunt (1742). Etching & engraving; VP.259. Gift of Abbey A. K. Turner Van Pelt Grimscom, Class of 1952, Katherine Drexel Van Pelt Beaver, & Charles B. P. Van Pelt. Both the lustful, sanguine temperament and the hunt, the privileged act of hunting for sport, are traditionally aligned with masculinity. In Departure for the Hunt, however, aristocratic women are at the forefront of this idealizing scene, atop their horses alongside the men they seem prepared to accompany into the hunt.
Alex Katz (American, b. 1927), Jessica (1994)published by the Print Club of New York, Inc. 3-color woodcut on Hosho paper, edition 79/200, signed in pencil, Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine, 2012.27.508.
Richard Linder (German-American, 1901-1978), Der Rosencavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (1977), Color lithograph, edition 193/250, signed in pencil, 2012.27.413.
After Paul Delaroche (French, 1797-1856), Napoleon Bonaparte (1870-75), after 1838 painting. Engraving; Gift of Abby A. K. Turner Van Pelt Grimscom, Class of 1952, Katherine Drexel Van Pelt Beaver, and Charles B. P. Van Pelt, VP.786. Dressed in military costume and with a sword at his hip, Napoleon poses confidently in the comfort of his study. Napoleon was known for his choleric nature, yet like Suyderhoef’s peasant above right, he also rests his right hand inside the opening of his jacket. This detail may appear odd, but it can be explained by the subject's social class. In depictions of peasants, this phlegmatic gesture was used to signify laziness. However, in depictions of the ruling class, the same gesture adopts the positive associations of temperance, leisure, and calm. Used in a depiction of Napoleon, the gesture may also be an ironic allusion to the subject's relatively low birth.
After Albrecht Dürer (German 1471-1528), St. Christopher Facing Left (1521). Engraving, monogram in plate, copy in reverse, X.402.
Francisco Amighetti (Costa Rican, 1907-1998). El niño y la nube (The Boy and the Cloud) (1969). Color lithograph of woodblock print, edition 7/12, signed in pencil below image, 2012.27.444.
Harmen Jansz. Muller (Dutch, c. 1540-c. 1617), after Maerten van Heemskerck (Dutch, 1498-1574), Sanguinei, from The Four Temperaments (1566, after 1565 drawings). Engraving, first edition, signed in plate, Gift of Dale Kinney, 2009.19.1.
Amze Emmons (American, b. 1974), Levity (2018). 10-color screenprint with laser cut elements on Coventry rag paper; edition 71/200; signed in pencil on verso; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine, Class of 1946, and Howard H. Levine; 2018.37.1.
Jan Georg van Vliet (Dutch c. 1610-1668), Pedlar (18th- or 19th- century restrike? of 1632 plate). Etching on wove paper, state v/v, signed in plate, Hollstein 79, X.899.
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), The Men's Bath House (late 16th century?) restrike of 1496-1497 original block. Woodcut on laid paper; monogram in plate; Gift of Howard L. Gray, Professor of History, 1915-1940; 1946.26
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), St. Christopher Facing Left (1521). Engraving; monogram in plate; Gift of Eleanor May Morris, Class of 1941, MA 1970, in honor of Carol Biba, Head of Public Relations, Bryn Mawr College, 1950-1972; 2007.9.3.
Jan Georg van Vliet (Dutch, c. 1610-1668), Beggar with Two Crutches (18th- or 19th- century restrike? of 1632 plate). Etching on wove paper, state iv/iv, signed in plate, Hollstein 76, X.901.
John Sartain (English-American, 1808-1897), after Christian Schussele (French-American 1824-1879), A Reminiscence of the Opera (1851). Mezzotint, Gift of John Freas, SAR.102.
After Lucas van Leyden (Netherlandish, 1494-1533) The Musicians (1524). Engraving, monogram in plate, New Hollstein 155, copy c, X.415
Jonas Suyderhoef (Dutch, c. 1613-1686), after Adriaen van Ostade (Dutch, 1610-1685); The Big Broom, or Peasants Under an Arbour to the Right of an Inn (mid-late 17th century). Engraving, state ii/iv, signed in plate, 2005.3.146.
Shirley Goldfarb (American, 1925-1980), Rouge et Jaune (Red and Yellow) (1961), Lithograph, A. P., signed in pencil, Gift of Gregory Mausrovsky to the William and Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection of Works by Women Artists, 2006.1.104. In the nearby print Best Friends, Nancy Spero illustrates a sexual scene liberated from a gender binary. Genitals are hidden, suggesting sex identification belongs to the subjects rather than the viewer. Moving away from figural representation, Goldfarb’s brief gestural lines of red and yellow spill over one other, blurring occasionally into orange. Like the subversion of a traditional wo/man binary in Best Friends, there is a blending of colors in Rouge et Jaune, bringing something neither red, nor yellow, but in-between, to the surface.
William Gropper (American, 1897-1977), Hysteria II. Lithograph, edition 25/100, signed twice in plate, postmortem impression signed in pencil below image by Sophie Gropper, 2012.27.656.
Hendrick Goltzius (Netherlands, 1558-1617), The Adoration of Shepherds (c. 1599), published by Jacob Matham, after 1617. Engraving and drypoint; state ii/iv; New Hollstein 14; Gift of Richard C. Bull, 2012.22.1. Goltzius, known for his highly finished Mannerist prints, is unlikely to have left this engraving incomplete intentionally. Yet the print is enhanced by what is left to the imagination. Joseph, Mary, and two shepherds enclose the luminous space where the cradled baby Jesus would have emerged. The wonder in their expressions perhaps mirrors the viewer's own joyful experience of looking at the print. The candle in Joseph’s outstretched hand seems to beckon the viewer forward, inviting us not only to bear witness to the event, but to generate in our mind the missing child—the true subject of the print.
Asa Cheffetz (American, 1896-1965); Reflection in Crystal (c. 1945); published by the Woodcut Society, 1946. Wood engraving in black, signed in pencil, on loan from Mitchell Cohn (HC, Class of 1980).
Ernst Barlach (German, 1870-1938), Barmherziger Samariter (The Good Samaritan) (1919). Woodcut; monogram in plate; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine, Class of 1946, and Howard H. Levine, 2012.27.141.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Plate for Still Life with Tree and Horse (c. 1947). Drypoint plate, Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.230 This example of an intaglio plate is made by cutting directly into a metal surface, in this case with a steel drypoint needle. The artist scratches the lines that are meant to be printed. When ink is applied to the plate, it fills the lines beneath the surface, and the surface is carefully wiped clean. Damp paper is then placed on top of the plate and run through a printing press with enough pressure to force the paper down into the incised, inkfilled lines of the plate, transferring the ink onto the paper. In drypoint, the directness of the artist’s incision produces a ridge, or burr, of left-over metal that holds ink and prints with a soft, velvety appearance absent in the clean lines of other intaglio techniques, such as engraving and etching.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Woodblock for Pruning Hands (1931). Wooblock, Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.222.
Charles Amand-Durand (French, 1831-1905), after Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669); Jan Cornelis Sylvius (1882, after 1646 print). Heliogravure from newly engraved copper plate, X.332. This posthumous portrait of the Dutch preacher Jan Cornelius Sylvius (1564-1638) employs a trompe l’oeil (or trick the eye) effect in the subject's right hand, which appears to penetrate the picture plane. His oratory gesture beckons to the viewer—perhaps with a choleric exhortation or sanguine moral guidance. The Latin inscription encircling and below the subject describes his exemplary Christian life. This eulogy is not merely a moralizing device, but perhaps another gesture inviting the viewer’s emulation of the deceased figure.
Audrey Flack (American, b. 1931), Une Bouchée d'Amour (A Mouthful of Love) (2013). Digitized drawing with layered silkscreen elements, edition 86/200, signed in pencil below image, 2014.19.1.
Zinnia (American, b. 1944), Après Rembrandt (After Rembrandt) (December 9, 1979). Gelatin silver print; edition 1/10; signed in pencil; Gift of Constance Maravell, Class of 1965; 2014.18.34.
Harmen Jansz. Muller (Dutch, c. 1540-c.1617), after Maerten van Heemskerck (Dutch, 1498-1574), Phlegmatici, from The Four Temperaments (1566, after 1565 drawings). Engraving, first edition, signed in plate, Gift of Dale Kinney, 2009.19.4.
Wenceslaus Hollar (Bohemian-English, 1607-1677), Salmon Fishing (1671). Etching, state ii/ii, signed in plate, New Hollstein 2138, X.352.
Albert Alexander Paul Rouffio (French, 1855-1911), Hérodias (c. 1878), after 1875 painting. Etching; signed in plate; Gift of Abby A. K. Turner Van Pelt Grimscom, Class of 1952, Katherine Drexel Van Pelt Beaver, and Charles B. P. Van Pelt; VP.346 While Symbolist artists of this period tend to focus on Salomé’s role in the death of John the Baptist, it was her mother Hérodias who ordered his beheading after he criticized her marriage to Herod. These artists, including Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, and Aubrey Beardsley, prefer to romanticize the dangerous but feminine allure of Salomé’s dance, rather than her mother’s more masculine, murderous rage as characteristic of the femme fatale. Rouffio, however, like Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) in his novella Hérodias (1877), shifts attention from the youthful daughter to Hérodias herself. His Hérodias reclines seductively, clutching her marital pillow and stroking the hair of the beheaded victim—an unnervingly calm, yet vengeful choleric. He discovers room for Hérodias to retain her femininity and depicts her as the femme fatale of this story.
Francesco Curti (Italian, 1603-1607), after engraving by Agostino Carracci (Italian, 1557-1602) of drawing by Francesco Vanni (Italian 1563-1610); St. Jerome in Meditation (c. 1595). Engraved copy in reverse, X.959. Resting his hand on his head, Saint Jerome contemplates a cross, a book, a rosary, and a skull. His gesture, associated with the melancholic temperament, reflects the mood of the composition. The image is a memento mori, a reminder of death. The skull and the Latin inscription in the lower margin of the print recall the brevity of human life, while the cross, a Christian symbol for the crucifixion of Jesus, exhorts the viewer to pursue a good, spiritual life. Although the cross also refers to the hope of salvation, Saint Jerome seems to be looking elsewhere—towards the skull in the foreground, whose empty black sockets mirror the dark shadows over Jerome's own lowered eyes.
François Vivarès (French, 1709-1780), after Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669); Beggar Seated Warming His Hands at a Chafing Dish (1850-1900), copy no. 5 after c. 1630 etching. Etched in reverse, signed in plate, X.814.
Harmen Jansz. Muller (Dutch, c. 1540-c.1617), after Maerten van Heemskerck (Dutch, 1498-1574), Cholerici, from The Four Temperaments (1566, after 1565 drawings). Engraving, first edition, signed in plate, Gift of Dale Kinney, 2009.19.2.
Joseph W. Reed (American, 1948-2002), Automatic John Wayne (June 1975). Lithograph, edition 10/10, signed in pencil, Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine, 2012.27.175.
Jost Amman (German, 1539-1591), Adam and Eve in Paradise (1580). Woodcut; monogram in block; New Hollstein 168.5; Gift of Howard L. Gray, Professor of History, 1915-1940; 1946.27.
Katherine Bradford (American, b. 1942), Color X (1993). 8-color collagraph, A.P. 7/7, edition of 30, signed in pencil, Gift of the artist, The William and Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection of Works by Women Artists, 2006.1.301.
Master of the Die (Italian, active c. 1530-1560), after Giulio Romano (Italian 1499?-1566), Two gladiators fighting in front of an arch (1530-1560). Engraving, initialed in plate, VP.67.
Luigi Schiavonetti (Italian, 1765-1810), after Henry Tresham (Irish, c. 1756-1814); Adam and Eve (1773-1795). Stipple engraving; Gift of Abby A. K. Turner Van Pelt Grimscom, Class of 1952, Katherine Drexel Van Pelt Beaver, and Charles B. Van Pelt; VP.473.
Bruno Héroux (German, 1868-1944), Printer (late-19th—mid-20th century). Etching, signed in pencil below image, Gift of Richard E. Bishop in memory of Mary E. Harrington, 1962.62.
Johannes Wierix (Flemish, 1549-c. 1620), Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528); Melancholia I (1602). Engraving, Hollstein LXVII.144.2000, on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Will Barnet (American, 1911-2012), Gramercy Park (2012). 5-color photo-lithograph on Hanamühle Copperplate Bright White paper; edition 176/200; signed in pencil; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine, Class of 1946, and Howard H. Levine; 2012.27.643.
Thomas Worlidge (English, 1700-1766), after Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669); Beggar Seated on a Bank (18th century). Etched copy in reverse; copy no. 14 after etching of 1630; signed in plate; New Hollstein 50, copy b ii; X.811.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669). Peasant Family on the Tramp (18th century restrike). Etching on wove plate, state ii/iii, New Hollstein 266, X.319.
John Sloan (American, 1871-1951), Man Monkey (1905). Etching; edition of 100, state vi/vi; signed in plate; Morse 1969, 130; Gift of Richard E. Bishop in memory of Mary E. Harrington, 1962.143
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Cottage Beside a Canal (c. 1645). Etching and drypoint; only state; New Hollstein 202; Gift of Caroline Newton, Class of 1914; X.305.
Federico Castellón (Spanish-American, 1914-1971), Adam and Even (1941). Etching; trial proof of 1st state; signed in pencil below; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine, Class of 1946, and Howard H. Levine; 2012.27.149.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Burin (early 20th century). Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.232.a.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Burin (early 20th century). Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.232.b.
Anders Zorn (Swedish, 1860-1920), Zorn and His Wife (1890). Etching; signed in pencil below plate; Gift of Clarissa Compton Dryden, Class of 1932, MA 1935; 1988.3.
Roselle Hellenberg Osk (American, 1884-1954), The Sisters (1938). Etching, 7/100, Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine, 2012.27.228.
Charles Wheeler Locke (American, 1899-1983), Three Men Seated in Overstuffed Chairs (20th Century). Lithograph; signed in pencil below image; Gift of Mary Patterson McPherson, President of Bryn Mawr College, 1978-1997; 2018.35.22.
Juanita McNeely (American, b. 1936), The Gift (1969-1970). Aquatint, signed in pencil below, Gift of Bill Scott to The William and Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection of Works by Women Artists, 2006.1.202. The representation of a sanguine temperament coincides with the male gaze in many lustful, even violent depictions of nude women. The Gift offers a subversion of this, but a complicated one. In it, a nude, lanky woman, perhaps a stand-in for the artist, is splayed across the center of the page; the figure looks uncomfortable, even trapped in an intolerable situation. A black subject turns away from her, even as his physical presence still seems to overpower her in ways that reinforce racialized stereotypes. If intended for a male viewer, this image becomes sanguine when it allows him to fantasize his rescue of the “damsel in distress.” But perhaps this shadowy figure is an abstraction of the terminal cancer diagnosis the artist received after graduating high school—a traumatic experience that informs her practice. Since then, she uses her art to explore “things that perhaps most people even feel uncomfortable about looking at, much less talking about.”
Bolton Caldwell Moïse Jr. (American, 1905-1989), Château de Chillon (20th century). Etched copper plate, X.355.i. This example of an intaglio plate is made by drawing onto a metal plate that has been coated with a material that resists acid, or the ground. The artist draws directly onto the ground with a sharp needle, removing it with less effort than other intaglio processes. The plate is then placed into an acid bath, which eats away, or etches, the exposed parts of the metal plate to form lines beneath the surface of the plate. When ink is applied to the plate, it fills the lines beneath the surface, and the surface is carefully wiped clean. Damp paper is then placed on top of the plate and run through a printing press with enough pressure to force the paper down into the incised, inkfilled lines of the plate, transferring the ink onto the paper. The lines etched into the plate appear in the finished print as black or colored ink; white areas of the image were untouched by the artist.
Nancy Spero (American, 1962-2009), Best Friends (2001). Handprinting on handmade paper, signed in pencil, Purchased with Delphine Fitz-Darby Fund, 2002.16.2.
After Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), St. Christopher Facing Left (1521). Engraving, monogram and date in plate, copy in reverse, X.342.
Arthur Bowen Davies (American, 1862-1928), Introvert (1919-1920). Soft-ground etching and aquatint; edition of 25, state ii/ii, stamped by estate; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine; 2012.27.163
Al Hirschfeld (American, 1903-2003), Le Gong, Bali (1941). Lithograph, edition of 1000, signed in plate, on loan from Mitchell Cohn (HC, Class of 1980).
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1511). Woodcut, published as plate 3/16 in Apocalypsis cum figuris (Latin edition, 1511, of The Apocalypse, 1497/1498), initialed in plate, Gift of Marcus Stanley, 2012.15.1
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Drypoint Needle, (early 20th century). Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.232.f
Harmen Jansz. Muller (Dutch, c. 1540-c.1617), after Maerten van Heemskerck (Dutch, 1498-1574), Melancholici, from The Four Temperaments (1566, after 1565 drawings). Engraving, first edition, signed in plate, Gift of Dale Kinney, 2009.19.3.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Pruning Hands (1931). Woodcut, Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.173.b.
Thomas Waterman Wood (American, 1823-1903), His Own Doctor (1883). Etching; signed in plate and below in pencil; Gift of Abbey A. K. Turner Van Pelt Grimscom (Class of 1952), Katherine Drexel Van Pelt Beaver, and Charles B. P. Van Pelt; VP.845.
Clare Leighton (English-American, 1898-1989), Stooking: August (1978). Wood engraving, second edition 28/100, signed in pencil below image, Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine (Class of 1946) and Howard H. Levine, 2012.27.383
Fritz Eichenberg (German-American, 1901-1990), Untitled (1969). Wood engraving; signed in pencil; Gift of Mary Patterson McPherson, President of Bryn Mawr College, 1978-1997; 2018.35.13
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Drypoint Needle (early 20th century). Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.232.e
Robert von Neumann (German-American, 1888-1976), The Four Net Menders (1934, published by the Woodcut Society, 1950). Woodcut; Gift of Mary Patterson McPherson, President of Bryn Mawr College, 1978-1997; 2018.35.26.
Allen Lewis (American, 1873-1957), Gouge (early 20th century). Gift of Dorothy S. Jayne (MSS 1960) and DeWitt Whistler Jayne, 1983.1.232.d.
Bolton Caldwell Moïse Jr. (American, 1905-1989), Château de Chillon (20th century). Etching, X.355.b.#2.
Bolton Caldwell Moïse Jr. (American, 1905-1989), Château de Chillon (20th century). Etching, X.355.d.#7.
Faith Ringgold (American, b. around 1930), Here Comes Moses (2014). Serigraph; edition 93/200; signed in pencil; Gift of Jacqueline Koldin Levine, Class of 1946, and Howard H. Levine; 2014.9.1.
Mary Bauermeister (German, b. 1934), Rainbow (1973). Lithograph, edition 52/250, signed in pencil, Gift of Argosy Partners and Bond Street Partners, 1980.5.
After Jacques Callot (French, 1592-1635), The Blindman and His Companion (1622), plate 9/25 from series The Beggars. Etching on wove paper, state ii/ii, signed in plate, Lieure 487, X.873.
George A. Walker (Canadian, b. 1960), Portrait of Neil Gaiman with Candle (1999). Wood engraving on homemade paper, edition 23/46, signed in pencil, on loan from Mitchell Cohn (HC, Class of 1980).
James G. Todd, Jr. (American, b. 1937), Owl Man (2004). Wood engraving, edition 13/60, signed in pencil and with stamp, On loan from Mitchell Cohn (HC, Class of 1980).
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Spanish, 1746-1828), The Sleep of Reason (1797). Aquatint and etching; from 4th (1878), 6th (1890-1900), or 9th (1908-12) edition; on loan from Mitchell Cohn (HC, Class of 1980).