Engravings by Wenceslas Hollar
Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2025 10:57 am
Venčeslav Hollar is a highly respected figure in the Czech Republic. Although he spent almost his entire life abroad, the Czechs consider him one of their own.
Although the Czech Republic (then the Kingdom of Bohemia) never had its own navy, being located far from the sea, Venčeslav Hollar, a man with a complex life, had ample opportunity to draw from life.
Hollár worked in etching and often published illustrated series. The diversity of his work is impressive. He created approximately 2,740 engravings on a variety of subjects: city views, portraits, depictions of ships, landscapes, still lifes, religious and heraldic works, depictions of women's costumes, and animalistic compositions. His views of cities and architectural structures (such as the cathedrals in Antwerp and Strasbourg) are topographically accurate yet imbued with artistic intent.
Ships were not the primary theme of Wenceslas Hollar's work, but since he occasionally encountered these Baroque vessels during his travels, he created charming illustrative and documentary graphic sheets dedicated to them.
Hollar could create almost exact copies of other artists' works.
This engraving, "Landing on the Irish Coast," by Wenceslaus Hollar, is based on Bonaventure Peeters I's painting, "Port of Louving in Ireland." It depicts several sailing ships off the coast of Ireland, as well as a detail of a ship approaching the shore. This etching was published by Johannes Meyssens in 1651. The stamps on the souvenir sheet are set against a background of a graphic sheet depicting a windmill, based on a drawing by Johann Brueghel. All the ship engravings on the stamps and first day covers are excised fragments from larger graphic sheets.
The stamp on the right side of the souvenir sheet is a fragment from the painting "Landing on the Irish Coast." The stamp on the left is a fragment from the painting "Ship in a Stormy Sea."
Wenceslas Hollar was a Czech graphic artist and draftsman, although he lived and worked in Germany and England. He died in London at the age of 70, in abject poverty.
Czech Republic 2025; Ms (82+82)kr
Sources: https://gun001.livejournal.com/89431.html.
https://e-vystavy.pamatniknarodnihopise ... NP-IG_3164.
Although the Czech Republic (then the Kingdom of Bohemia) never had its own navy, being located far from the sea, Venčeslav Hollar, a man with a complex life, had ample opportunity to draw from life.
Hollár worked in etching and often published illustrated series. The diversity of his work is impressive. He created approximately 2,740 engravings on a variety of subjects: city views, portraits, depictions of ships, landscapes, still lifes, religious and heraldic works, depictions of women's costumes, and animalistic compositions. His views of cities and architectural structures (such as the cathedrals in Antwerp and Strasbourg) are topographically accurate yet imbued with artistic intent.
Ships were not the primary theme of Wenceslas Hollar's work, but since he occasionally encountered these Baroque vessels during his travels, he created charming illustrative and documentary graphic sheets dedicated to them.
Hollar could create almost exact copies of other artists' works.
This engraving, "Landing on the Irish Coast," by Wenceslaus Hollar, is based on Bonaventure Peeters I's painting, "Port of Louving in Ireland." It depicts several sailing ships off the coast of Ireland, as well as a detail of a ship approaching the shore. This etching was published by Johannes Meyssens in 1651. The stamps on the souvenir sheet are set against a background of a graphic sheet depicting a windmill, based on a drawing by Johann Brueghel. All the ship engravings on the stamps and first day covers are excised fragments from larger graphic sheets.
The stamp on the right side of the souvenir sheet is a fragment from the painting "Landing on the Irish Coast." The stamp on the left is a fragment from the painting "Ship in a Stormy Sea."
Wenceslas Hollar was a Czech graphic artist and draftsman, although he lived and worked in Germany and England. He died in London at the age of 70, in abject poverty.
Czech Republic 2025; Ms (82+82)kr
Sources: https://gun001.livejournal.com/89431.html.
https://e-vystavy.pamatniknarodnihopise ... NP-IG_3164.