Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold: Opera: Score

SKU: HL.49020155

Ferdinand Leeke.

Ferdinand Leeke (1859-1923) was the creator of a serial of paintings showing scenes from the operas of Richard Wagner.These images provide much more than a simple illustration of Wagner's music dramas. Like no other artist Leeke managed to create the exact atmosphere that Wagner had established by his compositions.The works by Leeke are exhibited in several well-established art-museums, as for example the Neue Pinakothek in Munich and the Richard Wagner Museum in Bayreuth.In 1899 the prominent Bavarian printer Franz Hanfstaengl made copper plates from the original pictures. In a highly complicated procedure Franz Hanfstaengl produced the printing plates to transform Leeke's images into photogravures.These photogravures printed from the original plates are assorted in an exclusive folder that is produced only in a limited edition of 970 pieces worldwide.Every handpulled picture an originalThe art of etching and handcopper prints is regarded as one of the oldest and finestprinting techniques.In case of etching the motif is etched by the artist directly into the copperplate, with heliogravure the image has been engraved by using a complicated and extremly difficult photographic and handicraft procedure.Printing is done on heavy handmade-paper. Today, as 500 years ago, the copperplate is still carefully re-inked by hand and then cleaned with wide-meshed gauze balls, for only when the ink lies deep in the impressions the print will possess the velvety tones and fragile lines so characteristic of old, valuable engravings.The print is produced by pressing the plate under the pressroller with a pressure of around 16 tons. For every single print the entire procedure has to be repeated.To a greater extent than with wooden engravings, the artistic quality of etchings and copper engravings / heliogravures is dependent on the handicraft skills and the aesthetic sensitivity of the printer.This special way of printing has been done by Hanfstaengl publishers since 1833. Through the precise application and remova! of ink, the carefully-considered choice of paper and the use of the hand press, the printing specialists create a precious original with every page.