Antique Engravings

In this section you will find a carefully selected range of antique engravings for sale, including antique etchings, antique lithographs, antique woodcuts, photogravures, aquatints, drypoints, religious engravings, urban views, maps, portraits, historical scenes, scientific plates, decorative engravings and other antique graphic works.

Antique engravings and collectible old graphic art

Antique engravings form one of the most interesting areas of collecting art on paper. They are works that allow us to approach the history of art, illustration, cartography, science, religion, architecture, portraiture, landscape and everyday life through printing and engraving techniques used for centuries.

The interest of antique engravings is not limited to their decorative value. Many were made by artists, engravers, printers, workshops and publishers of great quality, and some reproduce works by great masters or document events, cities, figures, monuments, customs and knowledge from a particular period.

The value of antique engravings

Antique engravings have a special appeal because they combine art, technique and history. Unlike a unique painting, engraving and printmaking made it possible for centuries to reproduce images and disseminate them among a wider public, becoming a fundamental tool of European visual culture.

Thanks to engraving, religious images, portraits of important figures, maps, city views, scientific treatises, historical scenes, book illustrations, architectural models, ornamental compositions and reproductions of famous paintings were widely circulated.

The value of an antique engraving depends on many factors: period, technique, artist, engraver, publisher, subject represented, rarity, state of preservation, quality of impression, paper, margins, colouring, provenance, inscription, signature, original plate and visual appeal.

Main antique engraving techniques

Antique etchings

Antique etchings are one of the most appreciated techniques within engraving and printmaking. The process consists of covering a metal plate with an acid-resistant ground and drawing on it with a point, exposing the areas that will later be bitten by the acid.

This technique allows for a free, expressive line, very close to drawing. It was used by great artists and engravers from the Early Modern period onwards, and is especially suitable for religious scenes, landscapes, portraits, architecture, historical compositions and works of strong artistic character.

Antique lithographs

Antique lithographs are made using a printing process traditionally based on lithographic stone. Developed at the end of the 18th century, this technique made it possible to reproduce images with great richness of line, tone and detail.

Lithography was widely used during the 19th century for artistic plates, portraits, urban views, genre scenes, book illustrations, posters, maps, fashion, scientific publications and decorative works. Chromolithographs, made in colour through successive printings, are especially appreciated for their visual appeal.

Antique woodcuts

Antique woodcuts are works made from a carved wooden matrix. The image is obtained by inking the raised surface and pressing it onto paper.

Woodcut is one of the oldest printing techniques and was fundamental in the history of the illustrated book. It was used in religious engravings, illustrations, popular sheets, historical scenes, ornaments, early maps and also in the Japanese tradition, especially in Ukiyo-e prints.

Antique photogravures

Antique photogravures combine the world of engraving with photography. This technique made it possible to transfer photographic images onto a plate for later printing, achieving results of great realism and precision.

Photogravure was very important in illustrated publications, books, magazines, portraits, monumental views, landscapes, documentary scenes and artistic reproductions. Its interest lies both in its technical quality and in its historical and documentary value.

Antique aquatints

Antique aquatints are a technique related to etching, but aimed at achieving broader areas of tone, shadow and atmosphere. They make it possible to create very characteristic effects of depth, atmosphere and volume.

They were frequently used in landscapes, genre scenes, architectural views, religious compositions, travel engravings and artistic works in which tone and light played an especially important role.

Antique drypoints

Drypoint is a direct engraving technique on the plate, without the use of acid. The artist incises the metal with a hard point, creating lines that retain the ink and offer a particularly lively and delicate stroke.

Antique drypoint engravings are highly appreciated for the quality of their line, the softness of their shadows and the direct feeling of the artist’s hand. They are often works of great graphic sensitivity.

Other types of antique engravings

In addition to these techniques, there are other procedures used to create antique engravings and graphic works: burin engraving, mezzotint, linocut, screen printing, collotype, heliogravure, hand-coloured engraving and mixed techniques.

Each procedure gives a different texture, line, depth and visual character. For this reason, the world of antique engravings is so varied and attractive for collectors of art on paper.

Common subjects in antique engravings

Antique religious engravings

Antique religious engravings were very important in the dissemination of devotional images. They represent Christ, the Virgin, saints, martyrs, biblical scenes, episodes of the Passion, apparitions, angels, Marian devotions and subjects related to spiritual life.

These works can have great artistic, devotional and documentary interest, especially when they preserve good inscriptions, margins, antique paper, original colouring or a connection with religious books, popular engravings or recognised engraving workshops.

Antique engravings of cities and landscapes

Antique engravings of cities, monuments, landscapes and architectural views are highly appreciated by collectors and decorators. They show how cities, ports, churches, palaces, ruins, gardens, mountains, rivers and roads were represented in the past.

This type of engraving has great documentary and decorative value. It is especially suitable for libraries, offices, living rooms, galleries, historic houses, hotels and decorative projects with a classical character.

Antique engraved portraits

Antique engraved portraits represent kings, nobles, military figures, religious figures, writers, scientists, artists, politicians and historical characters. Before photography, they were a fundamental way of spreading the public image of important people.

Their interest increases when they preserve the name of the sitter, the artist, the engraver, the publisher, the date, the office represented, the coat of arms, the dedication or a complete inscription.

Maps and antique cartography

Antique maps and cartographic engravings form a particularly appreciated category within art on paper. They represent countries, regions, cities, coasts, routes, continents, urban plans and geographical visions from different periods.

In addition to their decorative beauty, these engravings have great historical value because they show the evolution of geographical knowledge, navigation, borders, old place names and the way each period understood the world.

Antique scientific and natural history plates

Antique scientific plates include engravings of botany, zoology, anatomy, astronomy, medicine, mineralogy, architecture, engineering and other fields of knowledge.

These works were essential for scientific dissemination and are now highly appreciated for their precision, beauty, colouring, documentary value and decorative capacity. Plates of flowers, animals, birds, fish, medicinal plants and scientific instruments are especially sought after.

Antique engravings for collecting and decoration

Antique engravings are very suitable pieces for starting or completing a collection of art. They are often more accessible than many antique paintings, but they can have great historical, technical and aesthetic value.

They are also highly versatile works for decoration. A group of antique engravings can bring elegance, historical depth and personality to living rooms, offices, libraries, hallways, dining rooms, bedrooms, galleries, hotels, restaurants and homes with classical or contemporary decoration.

When assessing an antique engraving, it is advisable to observe the technique, paper, impression, margins, inscriptions, state of preservation, possible colouring, frame, period, subject and overall quality of the work.

Buying antique engravings at Antiguedades.es

At Antiguedades.es, we select antique engravings for sale with special attention to authenticity, period, technique, state of preservation, quality of impression, paper, subject, rarity, historical value and decorative appeal.

If you are looking for antique etchings, antique lithographs, antique woodcuts, photogravures, aquatints, portraits, antique maps, religious engravings, urban views, scientific plates, landscapes or antique art on paper, we recommend visiting this section frequently, as our catalogue is periodically updated with new additions.

If you have any questions about a work, need additional photographs, precise measurements or information about the technique, period, paper, impression, condition, frame, inscription, artist, engraver, publisher or provenance, please contact us. We will be happy to help you find the antique engraving best suited to your collection, office, library, living room, gallery or decorative project.