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THE MUSLIM WORLD:

Part 1: Including The Searight Collection of Drawings and Prints and Material from The Drawings, Prints

           and Drawings Department and The National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Notes on the Catalogue Entries

Artist

Where known an artist’s full name is given, with, if applicable, his/her title and also qualifications (abbreviated). For the prints, Artist refers to the original artist after whose work the print was made. Where a print is after another artist, names of the engravers, etchers, lithographers, printmakers and publishers are given towards the end of the catalogue entry, under the headings Printer, Publisher or Other Artists (see below). Occasionally a publication (eg.ILN), or an author, comes under the general heading of Artist

Biography

An asterisk beside an artist’s name indicates that a biography appears elsewhere in the Catalogue (see Other Artists below). Biographies of artists have been compiled with a bias towards the artists’ journeys in the Near East and their work relating to the Near East. There are four categories of biography: for artists who are very well known but who did not travel to the Near East (eg. J M W Turner), an extremely brief biographical note is given, since full details are available elsewhere; for artists who are well known and who did travel to the Near East (eg. David Roberts), details of their oriental travel and work are included, accompanied by brief references to their other activities, since further information is available elsewhere; for lesser-known professional and amateur artists (eg. Luigi Mayer), as much detail as possible has been provided, since this is often the first time that the information has been brought together in an accessible publication; several artists (eg. W Brindley or S Fabrizi), usually amateurs, have limited biographies because further details are not known to date. Additional information would be welcomed.

Literature

The extensive notes and research undertaken by Rodney Searight while making his Collection have been a constant source of information on the artists and their works. These notes, together with additional notes, letters and photocopies generated by the process of compiling this Catalogue, have been retained as the Searight Archive in the Department of Designs, Prints and Drawings in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This Archive is not quoted in every catalogue entry, but the reader is often referred to it in the Notes.

The compilers also consulted many other sources, published and unpublished. These are specified in the Literature section of each catalogue entry. Unless otherwise stated, the place of publication is London.

However, for many better-known artists only major publications are quoted, since most contain further references. Standard biographical dictionaries have also constantly been used, but are not usually quoted unless a particular one is the main (sometimes only) source of information. These general works of reference and many other relevant publications are contained in the Bibliography.

Title

Where a work is inscribed or lettered with its title, the exact form of phrasing, spelling and punctuation has been retained. Any additions are given in square brackets. In other cases, titles are taken from a print of the work, from Rodney Searight’s notes, or given by the compiler.

Date

Where possible, the date of the work, known or estimated, is given.

For volumes of plates the date given is usually that which appears on the title page.  Other dates appearing on individual plates are specified in the Notes.

Where the date of a book is known but not printed in that book, it is given in square brackets, eg. J Pardoe, The Beauties of the Bosphorus [1838-40]. Similarly, for individual or bound prints, any plate numbers not actually stated on the plate are given in square brackets.

Media and Dimensions

Unless otherwise stated the work is on white, cream or buff wove paper.

For drawings and watercolours, the dimensions are those of the drawn area; where the image is not clearly defined, the sheet size is given.

For prints, the plate size is given, except for lithographs where the measurements are those of the printed area, unless otherwise stated.

Dimensions are in centimetres, height before width.

Inscriptions

As far as possible the spelling and punctuation of inscriptions have been transcribed literally. Square brackets are used for any part of an inscription not visible (ie. When it is illegible, has been cut away, etc.); also for any additions by the compiler. With a few exceptions the medium of the inscription is not specified.

Reproduced

In general, only contemporaneous reproductions of drawings and watercolours are given, where known.  Modern reproductions, eg. Illustrations in recent books and journals, are not therefore included.

Provenance

Provenance of drawings and watercolours is quoted directly from Rodney Searight’s note-books in the Searight Archive (VAM, DPD), and usually consists only of the source, date and price of acquisition.  Where subsequent research has revealed additional information, it is given.

Exhibitions

Like PROVENANCE and REPRODUCED, applies to drawings and watercolours only.  Only exhibitions with catalogues are specified.  Unless otherwise stated the venue of the exhibition is London.

Other Artists

Wherever possible brief biographies of other artists (ie. Engravers, etchers and lithographers) have been supplied.  An asterisk beside an artist’s name indicates that a biography appears elsewhere in the Catalogue.  This may be found either by direct reference to the alphabetically listed Artists, or via the List of Other Artists in the Appendix, where the reader will be referred to another of the alphabetically listed artists.

Subject and Topographic Indexes

Although given the title of ‘Index’, these are actually general reference aids only and are not in the format of an index.  The references were compiled for use by the Museum staff and should not be regarded as definitive statements of location or subject.

 

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