In this illustrated talk ‘Buyers, Collectors & Connoisseurs: A European Perspective’ Antony Griffiths looks at the consumer, those who bought prints. He considers what collectors prized, including condition/preservation and quality of impression. The talk also considers the stimulus that collectors gave to the production of new types of print, as well as the use of albums to store and arrange prints.
Antony Griffiths joined the British Museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings as an Assistant Keeper in 1976 and served as Keeper of the Department from 1991-2011. His publications include ‘Prints and printmaking’ (1st edn., London, 1980; 2nd edn., 1996) and ‘The Print Before Photography: An introduction to European Printmaking 1550-1820’ (London, 2016).
This lecture forms part of a series of lectures on ‘Printmaking and Print Collecting up to 1840‘, organised by Armagh Robinson Library. The Library is grateful to the Paul Mellon Centre for its support for the lecture series.
