China: Its State and Prospects, with Special References to the Spread of the Gospel - George Baxter

Gift of Henry M. Huxley

"China: Its State and Prospects, with Special References to the Spread of the Gospel" by George Baxter (1838, republished 1842) Book with letterpress, one color wood engraving, and one wood engraving in black, on cream wove paper, bound in hardcover with light brown cloth.

Commentary

"China: Its State and Prospects, with Special References to the Spread of the Gospel" by George Baxter (1838, republished 1842) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contras t do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include wood engraving. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. George Baxter is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: George Baxter (English, 1804-1867) text by Walter Henry Medhurst (English, 1796-1857) published by John Snow, London. The work is cataloged within a England cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as wood engraving, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Book with letterpress, one color wood engraving, and one wood engraving in black, on cream wove paper, bound in hardcover with light brown cloth) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (23.6 × 15.6 × 4.5 cm (9 5/16 × 6 3/16 × 1 13/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include wood engraving. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61627

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data