William Walcot, “The Temple of Baal”, 1918

William Walcot (1874–1943)

“The Temple of Baal”, 1917–18, a pencil-signed drypoint (and other techniques) from an edition of 50 impressions.

Regarding the portrayed scene, I understand that there is an archaeological site in the ancient city of Carthage on the Gulf of Tunis, called the Carthage Tophet, where sacred rites for the god, Baal Hammon, were performed (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage_tophet), and this may be a fantastical re-creation of the complex there from the artist imagination. Perhaps more likely, however, the scene is a creative reinvention of the ancient Temple of Baal (aka Temple of Baalshamin; Temple of Bel; معبد بعل) in Palmyra, Syria—sadly now destroyed when the Islamic State turned it to rubble in 2015.

Drypoint with etching, mezzotint rocker, aquatint and open-biting printed in a warm black ink on wove paper with watermark (“J.G & S 310”), pencil-signed by the artist, with wide margins.

Regarding Walcot’s approach to printmaking, Elizabeth Lee-Harvey offers the following insight within a wonderful account of Walcot’s life: “He defined the principal lines of the composition in drypoint or etching but created tone by a variety of means in addition to aquatint, from roughening the surface of the plate with a roulette or mezzotint rocker to painting nitric acid directly onto selectively grounded areas of the plate and exploiting foul biting” (https://elizabethharvey-lee.com/exhibitions/walcot/walcot_intro.htm).

Size: (sheet) 34.3 x 46.9 cm; (plate) 21.4 x 30 cm; (image borderline) 20.9 x 29 cm.

Inscribed in pencil: (artist's signature at lower-right of image) “W. Walcot”; (previous collector's note at lower-left corner of sheet) “The Temple of Baal. Walcot”.

H.C. Dickens & E. Harvey-Lee 111 (see: https://elizabethharvey-lee.com/exhibitions/walcot/walcot_raisonne_01.htm).

The AGNSW (Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia) and the Yale Center for British Art offer descriptions of this print: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/5997/; https://collections-test.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:39504.

Condition: a well-printed (near faultless) impression with generously wide margins. There is a restored hole on the left edge and faint glue stains verso, otherwise the sheet is in a very good condition for its large size.

I am selling this light-filled fantasy landscape by an artist well-known for his leaning to architectural subjects—mindful that Walcot was an architect and “praised as ‘the best architectural draftsman’ in London” (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walcot), for AU$339 (currently US$230.38/EUR205.80/GBP174.31 at the time of posting this print) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$339) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazing drypoint that I see as a true printmaker’s print in terms of the rich assortment of techniques employed and the lightness of touch, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.