Woodcut Engraving Collection

A Lathe using a spring bow and device to allow eccentric turning, 16th century
5311313 A Lathe using a spring bow and device to allow eccentric turning, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

Woodcut engraving depicting a 15th century plan of Canterbury, 15th century
5309187 Woodcut engraving depicting a 15th century plan of Canterbury, 15th century; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting a 15th century plan of Canterbury)

The comet of 249 AD
5309971 The comet of 249 AD; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting the comet of 249 AD, as seen in Basel, Switzerland. Dated 16th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A meteorite falling to earth
5309966 A meteorite falling to earth; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting a meteorite falling to earth in Basel, Switzerland. Dated 16th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A magnifying glass in a tube, simple microscope, and diminishing lens, 17th century
5311406 A magnifying glass in a tube, simple microscope, and diminishing lens, 17th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

a spaceship in clouds? An object observed over North Africa in 1479 and interpreted as a comet, 16th century
5311390 a spaceship in clouds? An object observed over North Africa in 1479 and interpreted as a comet, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting a piece of lodestone in rock. On the right, it is shown removed and broken up
5311339 A woodcut engraving depicting a piece of lodestone in rock. On the right, it is shown removed and broken up, but line A, B, the pole, will always remain the same

A woodcut engraving depicting the fifth day of creation - God created the birds and the fishes, 15th century
5311159 A woodcut engraving depicting the fifth day of creation - God created the birds and the fishes, 15th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting the set of 12 Zodiac figures (Scorpio and Libra have been combined), 15th century
5311056 A woodcut engraving depicting the set of 12 Zodiac figures (Scorpio and Libra have been combined), 15th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting an Archimedean Screw for raising water, 18th century
5310962 A woodcut engraving depicting an Archimedean Screw for raising water, 18th century; (add.info.: Date: 1764); Universal History Archive/UIG

Painter in his atelier - Gentleman painter with paintbrush in front of an easel in his atelier
FLO4577650 Painter in his atelier - Gentleman painter with paintbrush in front of an easel in his atelier. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades

Charron hammering a metal circle on a wooden wheel - Wheelwright hammering a metal cover onto a wooden wheel in a yard
FLO4577674 Charron hammering a metal circle on a wooden wheel - Wheelwright hammering a metal cover onto a wooden wheel in a yard

Carder painting wool fibers to remove short fibers - Wool-comber combing out wool remove short fibres
FLO4577627 Carder painting wool fibers to remove short fibers - Wool-comber combing out wool remove short fibres. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades

A metal worker using a wire-drawing machine to make thin wire. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English
FLO4577577 A metal worker using a wire-drawing machine to make thin wire. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

Type founders making metal type for a printing press near a furnace. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of
FLO4577835 Type founders making metal type for a printing press near a furnace. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

Soap factory: a man stirts a tank full of fat into a boil, another cuts the hardened soap with a copper wire - Soap
FLO4577819 Soap factory: a man stirts a tank full of fat into a boil, another cuts the hardened soap with a copper wire - Soap boiler making soap in a factory

Apothecary in his shop using a mortar and pestle to prepare a medicine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of
FLO4577808 Apothecary in his shop using a mortar and pestle to prepare a medicine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

Shipwright or ship's carpenter standing on a scaffold and driving wedges into the stern of a ship with a wooden
FLO4577786 Shipwright or ship's carpenter standing on a scaffold and driving wedges into the stern of a ship with a wooden trunnel. At his feet, his auger, axe and punch

Sawyers cutting timber into planks with a large saw - Sawyers cutting timber into planks with a large saw in a saw-pit
FLO4577785 Sawyers cutting timber into planks with a large saw - Sawyers cutting timber into planks with a large saw in a saw-pit

Stone cutter with mallet and chisel model a bevel stone, behind him another cut a stone with the saw - Stone mason
FLO4577762 Stone cutter with mallet and chisel model a bevel stone, behind him another cut a stone with the saw - Stone mason carving a stone with mallet and chisel on a bevel

Hat maker ironing the brim of a hat made from beaver fur. In the background
FLO4577748 Hat maker ironing the brim of a hat made from beaver fur. In the background, an apprentice works the felt in a battery (hot-water kettle)

Spinner in bonnet and apron spinning wool yarn on a spinning machine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of
FLO4577721 Spinner in bonnet and apron spinning wool yarn on a spinning machine. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

English mariner with sextant on a beach in front of a lighthouse and tall ship
FLO4577568 English mariner with sextant on a beach in front of a lighthouse and tall ship. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.; (add.info)

A saddle manufacturer - A saddler in leather apron making a saddle in his workshop
FLO4577851 A saddle manufacturer - A saddler in leather apron making a saddle in his workshop. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades and Library of the Useful Arts.;

Dyeers: one quenches the fabric in a red dye tank, others pump water to fill the rinse tank - Dyer dying bolts of
FLO4577830 Dyeers: one quenches the fabric in a red dye tank, others pump water to fill the rinse tank - Dyer dying bolts of fabric in a barrel

Straw-hat makers, women and girl, sewing hats from braided and plaited straw in a milliner's shop
FLO4577816 Straw-hat makers, women and girl, sewing hats from braided and plaited straw in a milliner's shop. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades

Currier shaving animal hides with a knife to make leather for shoes, boots, saddles, bookbindings, etc
FLO4577805 Currier shaving animal hides with a knife to make leather for shoes, boots, saddles, bookbindings, etc. Handcoloured woodcut engraving from The Book of English Trades

A woodcut engraving depicting a physician examining a urine sample. By Jost Amman (1539-1591) a Swiss-German artist
5311639 A woodcut engraving depicting a physician examining a urine sample. By Jost Amman (1539-1591) a Swiss-German artist, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting the divine harmony of the region of the four basic elements, earth, air, fire and water
5311620 A woodcut engraving depicting the divine harmony of the region of the four basic elements, earth, air, fire and water, lying beneath the sphere of the Moon

A clockmaker by Jost Amman (1539-1591) a Swiss-German artist, 16th century
5311550 A clockmaker by Jost Amman (1539-1591) a Swiss-German artist, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting Heron hawking, 18th century
5311051 A woodcut engraving depicting Heron hawking, 18th century; (add.info.: Date: 1762); Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting the draining of a mine that uses a series of suction pumps powered by a water wheel
5310952 A woodcut engraving depicting the draining of a mine that uses a series of suction pumps powered by a water wheel, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A meteor shower of 103 BC
5309976 A meteor shower of 103 BC; (add.info.: Woodblock engraving depicting a meteor shower of 103 BC shown as swords, pikes and battleaxes, Basel, Switzerland)

The comet of 384 AD
5309972 The comet of 384 AD; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting the comet of 384 AD, as seen in Basel, Switzerland. Dated 16th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

An aurora seen as armies fighting in the sky
5309967 An aurora seen as armies fighting in the sky; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting an aurora seen as armies fighting in the sky, Basel, Switzerland)

Woodcut engraving depicting Pythagoras an Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of the Pythagoreanism
5309468 Woodcut engraving depicting Pythagoras an Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of the Pythagoreanism movement

A woodcut engraving depicting Gentile da Foligno examining a sample of urine
5311638 A woodcut engraving depicting Gentile da Foligno examining a sample of urine. Gentile da Foligno (1280-1348) an Italian professor and doctor of medicine

A woodcut engraving depicting Bradford's hydrostatic instrument for measuring the specific gravity
5311321 A woodcut engraving depicting Bradford's hydrostatic instrument for measuring the specific gravity and therefore the purity, of a coin

The vanishing point in perspective, 17th century
5311316 The vanishing point in perspective, 17th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting the process of increasing the power of a candle by passing the light through a
5311556 A woodcut engraving depicting the process of increasing the power of a candle by passing the light through a water-filled glass globe which acted as a condenser

Iron hitting flint being used to create a spark. Descartes used this to illustrate his idea that essential particles
5311538 Iron hitting flint being used to create a spark. Descartes used this to illustrate his idea that essential particles (in this case fiery ones) make up all things

A woodcut engraving depicting a Northern Goshawk, a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, 18th century
5311391 A woodcut engraving depicting a Northern Goshawk, a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, 18th century; (add.info.: Date: 1762); Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting perpetual motion by magnetism. A is a spherical magnet with its poles on either side
5311359 A woodcut engraving depicting perpetual motion by magnetism. A is a spherical magnet with its poles on either side. A piece of iron lies at D and is attracted up the slide C B to E

A woodcut engraving depicting galleons exchanging broadsides - note the sternpost rudder on the ship on the left
5311217 A woodcut engraving depicting galleons exchanging broadsides - note the sternpost rudder on the ship on the left, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting a blood-letting man, showing points of blood-letting connected with signs of the Zodiac
5311213 A woodcut engraving depicting a blood-letting man, showing points of blood-letting connected with signs of the Zodiac, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting an Italian nobleman hawking, 15th century
5311053 A woodcut engraving depicting an Italian nobleman hawking, 15th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting oak apples and gall wasp responsible for them
5310958 A woodcut engraving depicting oak apples and gall wasp responsible for them. These galls had various uses, including the dye for wool and ink (Aleppo galls)

A sun-grazing comet
5309974 A sun-grazing comet; (add.info.: Woodcut engraving depicting a sun-grazing comet, as seen in Basel, Switzerland. Dated 16th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

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Woodcut engraving is a traditional printmaking technique that dates back to the 15th century. Artists use sharp tools to carve images or designs into a block of wood, which is then inked and pressed onto paper to create a unique and intricate piece of art. The process requires skill, precision, and patience, as each cut must be carefully planned and executed to achieve the desired result. Woodcut engraving allows for bold lines, rich textures, and striking contrasts in the final print and has been used by famous artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Hokusai to create iconic works of art that have stood the test of time. Today, woodcut engraving continues to be appreciated for its timeless beauty and craftsmanship in the world of fine art. Whether you're an artist looking to explore a new medium or an art lover seeking out handmade prints with character, it offers a captivating glimpse into the history and tradition of printmaking.