Print of the Day!! Mon, July 24, 2023 is by John Taylor Arms (1887-1953): "Enchanted Doorway", etching, 1930, Trial Proof II.

Print of the Day!! Monday, July 24, 2023 is by American master printmaker John Taylor Arms (1887-1953).

"Enchanted Doorway" (also called "La Porta Della Carta, Venezia") is an intaglio, an etching, done in 1930. The platemark measures 12-1/2 x 6-5/8 inches. This impression is pencil signed, dated and inscribed "Trial Proof II" by the artist in the lower margin and is inscibed in the plate "J.T. Arms / Venezia 29" in the lower right image. It was printed by the artist and Master Printer Peter Platt in a total edition of 121 in 1920 and 27 impressions printed in 1937-1938; 19 trial proofs. This impression was printed on a sheet of gray-ivory laid paper that measures 15-3/4 x 9-1/2 inches. This image is #15 in Arms' Italian Series. References include: Fletcher 227; Arms 229; Library of Congress 107; illustrated on page 115 in Eric Denker's "Reflections & Undercurrents: Ernest Roth and Printmaking in Venice, 1900-1940". The gallery inventory number for this work is 24602.

This detailed intaglio by John Taylor Arms is available from the gallery for $1,500.00. Contact the gallery with any questions you might have, including condition.

Shipping costs will be discussed. California residents will have sales tax added. Out of state residents may be responsible for use tax, depending on state law.

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Porta Della Carta is a Venetian ceremonial doorway created by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon in the 15th century. It connects the Doge's Palace with the south wall of St. Marks Basilica. Porta Della Carta is considered an exquisite example of Late Gothic style architecture. The doorway includes a sculpture of the Doge Francesco Foscari kneeling before the lion of Saint Mark. The original sculptures of Foscari and the lion were destroyed in 1797 by the Napoleonic fury. Originally the whole gateway was painted and gilded.

John Taylor Arms captures the intricate ceremonial entrance to the Palazzo Ducale (Doges' Palace), "La Porta della Carta" - the Paper Portal, in reference to its proximity to the palace's archives. The 15th century Late Gothic entryway holds symbolic elements throughout, captured in minute detail by Arms down to the glass rondels in the window, and the faces of the Four Virtues. Adding interest to this small section of the palace is the Moorish brick patterning along the top half of the facade, evidence of Venice's long and varied history as a hub of international commerce. Arms was no doubt taken with this slice of historic architecture, judging by the title he gave the etching.

John Taylor Arms, printmaker, lecturer, illustrator, and administrator, was born in Washington, D.C. on 19 April 1887. He first studied law at Princeton University but transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study architecture, earning a Master's Degree in 1912. He studied with Ross Turner, David A. Gregg, and Felton Brown. For five years after his graduation Arms worked for the architectural firm Carrere and Hastings, before establishing his own architectural firm of which he was a partner.

A gift of an etching kit from his wife, Dorothy, changed the course of his life. He produced his first etching in 1915 and he eventually produced 441 prints, mostly etchings. Arms became one of the most famous printmakers of the first half of the twentieth century. He is mostly noted for his etchings of medieval architecture but early subjects also included ships, sailboats, airplanes, rural landscapes, and the streets, buildings, and bridges of New York.

Arms' exhibition history was lengthy beginning in 1927 and continuing to 1952. He authored 'Hand-Book of Print Making and Print Makers' in 1934 and illustrated 'Churches of France' and 'Hills Town and Cities of Northern Italy' by his wife, Dorothy Noyes Arms. His work can be found in most major collections of American prints.

Arms was an activist for printmaking and assisted in assembling exhibitions of American graphic art that were shown in Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Rome; he was editor of the Print Department of Print, A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts, and he lectured on the techniques, history and value of original prints. Arms also served as the president of the Tiffany Foundation in 1940. John Taylor Arms died in New York City on 15 October 1953.

To purchase this work, see other works, or read a biography for John Taylor Arms use this link to our website: https://www.annexgalleries.com/inventory/artist/80/Arms/John

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