Hand-Coloured Engraving Art Prints

4.8

Before colour printing existed, engravers cut the line work and painters filled it in by hand, which is why these plates still glow the way they do. Expect birds, botany, maps, costume studies and anatomical curiosities, all sharp black line under soft washed colour. If the subject matters more than the technique, the wider natural history art prints and vintage botanical art prints collections cover similar ground, with more variety in tone.

Rated 4.8 by 1,000s of customers
Vintage Art Prints
Vintage Art Prints
Vintage Poster Art Prints
Vintage Poster Art Prints
Natural History Art Prints
Natural History Art Prints
Cyanotype Art Prints
Cyanotype Art Prints
Exhibition Poster Art Prints
Exhibition Poster Art Prints
Vintage Botanical Art Prints
Vintage Botanical Art Prints
Vintage Bird Art Prints
Vintage Bird Art Prints
Vintage Nature Art Prints
Vintage Nature Art Prints
Vintage Landscape Art Prints
Vintage Landscape Art Prints
Vintage Travel Posters
Vintage Travel Posters
Vintage People Art Prints
Vintage People Art Prints
Vintage Cat Art Prints
Vintage Cat Art Prints
Gang gang Cockatoo by John Gould Art Print Brown

Gang-gang Cockatoo by John Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Fawn breasted Bower bird by Gould Art Print Brown

Fawn-breasted Bower-bird by Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Daurian Partridge by John Gould Art Print Brown

Daurian Partridge by John Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Exotic Fish Plate XXIV by Louis Renard Art Print Brown

Exotic Fish Plate XXIV by Louis Renard Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Australian Egret by John Gould Art Print Brown

Australian Egret by John Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Hawk of Ra, Pantheon Egyptien Art Print Black

Hawk of Ra, Pantheon Egyptien Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Neith from Panthéon Égyptien Art Print Black

Neith from Panthéon Égyptien Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Large billed Sericornis by Gould Art Print Oak

Large-billed Sericornis by Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Maple by Hannah Borger Overbeck Art Print Oak

Maple by Hannah Borger Overbeck Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Horus from Pantheon Egyptien Art Print Brown

Horus from Pantheon Egyptien Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Khonsu, Egyptian Moon God Art Print Brown

Khonsu, Egyptian Moon God Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Granulated Cuttle by Nodder Art Print Brown

Granulated Cuttle by Nodder Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95

More Fab art curations

Vintage Horse Art Prints
Vintage Horse Art Prints
Vintage Japanese Art Prints
Vintage Japanese Art Prints
Vintage Italy Art Prints
Vintage Italy Art Prints
Vintage Leaves Art Prints
Vintage Leaves Art Prints
Vintage Beach Art Prints
Vintage Beach Art Prints
London Vintage Art Prints
London Vintage Art Prints
Vintage Australia Art Prints
Vintage Australia Art Prints
Vintage Cycling Posters
Vintage Cycling Posters
Vintage Canvas Prints
Vintage Canvas Prints
Vintage Floral Canvas Prints
Vintage Floral Canvas Prints
Vintage Kitchen Canvas Prints
Vintage Kitchen Canvas Prints
Vintage Garden Canvas Prints
Vintage Garden Canvas Prints
Framed Art Prints
Framed Art Prints

Buying a hand-coloured engraving print

Short answers on colour, framing choices, where these prints sit best and how returns work

Need more help? Contact our team here

What is a hand-coloured engraving?

An engraving is a print pulled from a plate into which a design has been carved. Before colour printing became widespread and affordable, these prints were pulled in a single ink, usually black, and then painted by hand with watercolour washes. That is different from true colour engraving, where the colour is printed rather than applied afterwards. The prints in this style keep those fine engraved lines with soft, delicately tinted colour on top.

What is a print made from an engraved plate called?

It is simply called an engraving. The word describes both the technique of carving a design into a metal plate and the print taken from that plate. When the resulting sheet was later tinted by hand with watercolour, it became known as a hand-coloured engraving. What we offer are modern decorative reproductions of that look, printed on paper or canvas rather than pulled from an original plate.

How do you style engraving-style prints at home?

They reward a considered, slightly traditional setting: think studies, hallways, dining rooms and stairwells where people pass close enough to see the detail. Hanging three or more in a tight grid amplifies their impact, as single small engravings can look lost on a large wall. Keep frames consistent and mounts wide, and pair them with warm neutrals, deep greens or panelled walls so the aged paper tones feel intentional rather than faded.