The Wriston Art Center Galleries Digital Collection at Lawrence University has over 1500 images of various artworks, focusing especially on prints & printmaking and ancient coins. All can be viewed in extremely high resolution (click "export image" above the artwork). Here are a few I particularly like: Beginning of Winter (Japanese woodcut), Rising Sun (Paul Klee painting), From Distant Lands (watercolor), Three Kings (Jacques Villon engraving), Untitled I (netting) and Noble Lady and Prince (Japanese woodcut).
posted by Kattullus on Apr 14, 2009 - 4 comments

Imago Urbis: Giuseppe Vasi’s Grand Tour of Rome is a rich and innovative geographic database that projects Vasi's 18th century engravings of Roman architecture onto the contemporary map of Giambattista Nolli [previously] with supplementary modern satellite, photographic and mapping overlays together with copious background detail. The work was undertaken by researchers at the University of Oregon (announcement) [via]
posted by peacay on Jun 11, 2008 - 3 comments

Honoré Daumier is one of the great French artists of the 19th Century, beloved of no less an aesthetic judge than Baudelaire. Most famous as a lithographer and caricaturist, over 5000 of his lithographs and engravings can be seen, in high resolution, at The Daumier Register. One of the best places to start are the many online exhibits of his work.
posted by Kattullus on May 1, 2008 - 9 comments

The Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae A collection of over 900 zoomable print engravings, organized around the work of Antonio Lafreri and other Italian publishers, whose documentation of Roman ruins and statues helped fuel the Renaissance. The itineraries are a good place to start for detailed discussion, or just browse away. [via the wonderful Bouphonia]
posted by mediareport on Dec 10, 2007 - 8 comments

BibliOdyssey is a new and spectacular compendium of the printed image. From detailed posts on Rare Books of the Japanese Diet Library to a look at some strange illustrations for The Master and the Margarita, the site has a broad range and an eclectic composition authorized by the quality of the posts. Other highlights include Micrographia, a mysterious Astronomické České, the prints of Jacques Callot, and images from Sydney Parkinson's journal of his explorations of New Zealand and Australia. Be sure to look through the archives.
posted by OmieWise on Sep 30, 2005 - 13 comments

István Orosz (note: annoying Flash, popup window) is a Hungarian graphic artist. His work includes numerous illusionistic engravings which conjure visual paradoxes using tricks with perspective in a manner strongly reminiscent of M. C. Escher's. He has employed the technique of anamorphosis to striking effect.
posted by misteraitch on Feb 23, 2005 - 9 comments

Dream Dollars "Discover the mystery of Nadiria, the Lost Colony of Antarctica. Nadiria flourished as a utopian colony deep inside the Antarctican ice shelf for over thirty years until its mysterious disappearance in 1899. Here are the beautiful reproductions of its unusual currency, Dream-Dollars, studied by scholars and dream researchers for almost a century. Long unavailable, these exotic notes will amaze, astound, and fascinate all those interested in the strange and the beautiful."
posted by anastasiav on Jan 15, 2004 - 11 comments

The work of Russian miniaturist Nikolai Syadristy is amazing - sculptures, watercolors, engravings, all mere millimeters in size. It's a shame, however, that the best online galleries for displaying his works are so limited. This Flash based virtual museum and this horrendous gallery were the most extensive collections available online. Still, his work is worth suffering through the bad user interface & limited English translation to enjoy, for those who wish to know just how many angeles truly can fit on the head of a pin.
posted by jonson on Jun 9, 2003 - 4 comments

Hobo nickels [cache] were once carved by yesterday’s homeless for for meals, a place to sleep, a ride or other favors. Now, we have master engravers like Arthur Hutchison, Sam Alfono and Steven Adams.
posted by pedantic on Apr 12, 2002 - 7 comments