Early Colour Printing

This volume reproduces every early modern German color print held at the British Museum, one of the world’s most significant collections of these rare milestones of cultural heritage and technology.

New photography reveals, in jaw-dropping detail, 150 impressions, some of which have never been seen in public or reproduced. From artworks to missals and icons to wallpapers, this book breaks new ground by revealing the fascinating technologies that enabled the production of these color-printed objects. Further, the volume offers significant new scholarship, pinpointing attributions to printers—not just to artists or designers. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for a new understanding of the history of print, one that encompasses all forms of printed material. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, this collection guide will be a standard reference on German graphic art, early modern visual culture, and the history of printing itself.