About the Artwork
Blanche Lazzell was a central figure among a group of American artists who left Europe at the outbreak of World War I and settled in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Called the “Provincetown Printmakers,” they became known for color woodcuts like The Violet Jug, printed from a single block. This technique saved time, labor, and materials as compared to traditional color woodblock printing. According to traditional practices, individual colors were printed from separate blocks and printers strove for an identical image from impression to impression. The Provincetown Printmakers often approached each print as a unique object and frequently made significant color changes from print to print. Lazzell’s inspiration for her many floral still lifes came from the flowers she grew around her cottage on the Provincetown wharf.
The Violet Jug
1919
Blanche Lazzell
1878-1956
American
----------
Woodcut printed in color ink on laid japan paper
Block: 12 × 11 5/8 inches (30.5 × 29.5 cm) Sheet: 18 1/8 × 15 5/8 inches (46 × 39.7 cm)
Prints
Prints, Drawings & Photographs
City of Detroit Purchase
20.77
Copyright Not Evaluated
Markings
Signed, in pencil, lower left: Blanche Lazzell-
Inscribed, in pencil, verso: The Violet Jug | Blanche Lazzell, Provincetown, Mass.
Provenance
the artist, Blanche Lazzell [1878-1956];1920-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
Please note: This section is empty
The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Clarkson, John. Blanche Lazzell. Morgantown, West Virginia, 1979, p. 29, no. 19 (as Lazzell).
Sojka, Nancy. "What is the Graphic Arts Collection at the DIA?" Bulletin of the DIA 80, no. 1/2 (2006): p. 7 (ill.), (fig. 2).
Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.
Suggest FeedbackCatalogue Raisoneé
Please note: This section is empty
Credit Line for Reproduction
Blanche Lazzell, The Violet Jug, 1919, woodcut printed in color ink on laid japan paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 20.77.
Feedback
We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction or improvement.
Suggest Feedback
