These extraordinary woodcuts of François Desprez are brought to my eye by BibliOdyssey. The deceptive simplicity of the draughtsmanship, the paucity of online information, and the fact that they are so droll, almost leads me to believe that in a delirious moment of divine creative inspiration, he has himself scribbled them. Reassuringly, online information upon the Woodcut provides
“From the 1520s onwards, Venetian influence is obvious on Parisian outline book illustrations; at Lyons the miniaturist style of Hans Holbein II was more popular. Around 1550 six young woodcut artists—Germain Hoyau (c. 1515–83), Alain de Mathonière (c. 1533–75), Clément Boussy ( fl c. 1547–50), François de Gourmont (c. 1537–before 1598), Bonnemère (?Marin Bonnemer, fl c. 1568–71), and Fauler ( fl c. 1550)—established themselves in the Rue de Montorgueil, Paris. They and their descendants were joined by numerous other woodcutters, including Mathurin Nicolas, Nicolas Lefèvre and François Desprez, who were active in the 1560s.” (MoMA.org Art Terms Woodcut 3. C16 century)
Tantalising, is it not, in its brevity?
