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
Trochilidae Hummingbird Plate No. 27 Art Print Brown

Trochilidae Hummingbird Plate No. 27 Art Print

From £19.95 £34.95
Maple by Hannah Borger Overbeck Art Print Oak

Maple by Hannah Borger Overbeck Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Ramses III Standing Portrait Art Print Brown

Ramses III Standing Portrait Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Eagle from the Tombs of the Kings Art Print Brown

Eagle from the Tombs of the Kings Art Print

From £19.95 £34.95
Puffin by William Lewin Art Print Black

Puffin by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Bird Eggs Plate 38 by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Bird Eggs Plate 38 by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Crake by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Crake by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Grey Wagtail by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Grey Wagtail by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Guernsey Partridge by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Guernsey Partridge by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Shield Drake by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Shield Drake by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Red Throated Diver by William Lewin Art Print Brown

Red-Throated Diver by William Lewin Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Common Tern by William Lewin Art Print Black

Common Tern by William Lewin 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.