21,255  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 137 ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAYNEW ARRIVALS
137 ITEMS ADDED TODAY
Sort Order
Items Per Page
Browse Categories
Sort order
Relevant Links
Items per page
ID #SA1220690
SOLD
Email Phone
Save
Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted
Sold by Earl and Rymer
sold SA1220690
Sorry, but this item has been sold.
Earl and Rymer

Earl and Rymer

Sellingantiques Verified Since Feb 2026
Browse dealers 126 items
  • About Us
    Earl & rymer specialise in beautiful, interesting and unusual decorative antiques and art.
Id #SA1220690
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted

1920 - 1940
Description

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted.

1935 wood engraving by the celebrated British printmaker, Clare Leighton. This powerful work is an impression from her highly influential biographical gardening journal, Four Hedges: A Gardener’s Chronicle, printed by the Camelot Press.

This engraving depicts a nesting blackbird tucked safely within a woven nest, beautifully framed by thick branches and detailed springtime apple blossoms.

Perfect as a standalone piece or paired with other prints from our Clare Leighton collection.

Condition: Excellent vintage condition. The piece has been put in an appropriate modern mount which makes it ready to frame in a frame of your choosing.

Image Size: 18cm x 12.5cm. Mount Size: 28cm x 22.8cm.

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) was a pioneering figure in the twentieth-century revival of wood engraving. Born in London, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she honed a style defined by its robust energy and poetic realism. Best known for portraying the enduring spirit of the English countryside and the dignity of agrarian work, Leighton’s works are celebrated for their sweeping composition and dramatic use of light. In 1935, Four Hedges solidified her reputation as both a masterful visual artist and an empathetic writer. Today, her work is highly collectible and permanently held in major institutions globally, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Physical Dimensions
Height
18cm (7.09")
Width
12.5cm (4.92")
Declaration

Earl and Rymer has dated this Clare Leighton Wood Engraving to the 1930s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1220690
Dealers Internal Reference
1372-1389
Description
Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted.

1935 wood engraving by the celebrated British printmaker, Clare Leighton.

“
This powerful work is an impression from her highly influential biographical gardening journal, Four Hedges: A Gardener’s Chronicle, printed by the Camelot Press.
Earl and Rymer
fig 1. A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card.
fig 1. Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted

This engraving depicts a nesting blackbird tucked safely within a woven nest, beautifully framed by thick branches and detailed springtime apple blossoms.

Perfect as a standalone piece or paired with other prints from our Clare Leighton collection.

fig 2. A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card.
fig 2. Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted

Condition: Excellent vintage condition. The piece has been put in an appropriate modern mount which makes it ready to frame in a frame of your choosing.

Image Size: 18cm x 12.5cm. Mount Size: 28cm x 22.8cm.

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) was a pioneering figure in the twentieth-century revival of wood engraving. Born in London, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she honed a style defined by its robust energy and poetic realism. Best known for portraying the enduring spirit of the English countryside and the dignity of agrarian work, Leighton’s works are celebrated for their sweeping composition and dramatic use of light. In 1935, Four Hedges solidified her reputation as both a masterful visual artist and an empathetic writer. Today, her work is highly collectible and permanently held in major institutions globally, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Height
18cm (7.09")
Width
12.5cm (4.92")
Date of Manufacture

Earl and Rymer has dated this Clare Leighton Wood Engraving to the 1930s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1220690
Dealers Internal Ref
1372-1389
Earl and Rymer
Earl and Rymer
Sellingantiques verified Since Feb 2026

Earl & rymer specialise in beautiful, interesting and unusual decorative antiques and art.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Earl and Rymer Profile Page

PDF SHARE
SAVE
A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO
1 / 3
Archive I A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted

Archive II A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card. View II
Archive III A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card. View III
Enlarged Archival View
Telephone 07879 460591
Location
York
Yorkshire
United Kingdom

By appointment only.
Verified Since Feb 2026
Items For Sale 126
Items Sold 25
Earl and Rymer
Earl and Rymer
Verified Since Feb 2026
View Dealer Info
Location: York, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, , By appointment only.
Verified
Feb 2026
For Sale
126
Sold
25
A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card.
Clare Leighton (1898–1989) – 'Nesting Blackbird', 1935 Wood Engraving from Four Hedges, Mounted
Ref: SA1220690
A monochrome 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton depicting a blackbird sitting in its nest among leafy branches and spring blossoms, mounted on cream card.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Archival Detail
Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.
Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.
Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.
Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectPrints & Engravings
  • Period1920 - 1940
  • Style1930s British Printmaking
  • MaterialPaper, Ink, Card
  • ColourBlack, White, Cream
  • MotifsCross-hatching, fine line engraving, naturalistic foliage, bird nest
  • SizeH 18 cm (7 in) x W 12.5 cm (5 in)

This 1930s British printmaking piece is an original 1935 wood engraving by Clare Leighton titled 'Nesting Blackbird', originating from her biographical gardening journal Four Hedges: A Gardener’s Chronicle and printed by the Camelot Press. The monochrome artwork is executed in black ink on white paper, presented within a rectangular cream card window mount. The detailed wood engraving depicts a blackbird sitting in its nest among woven twigs, leafy branches, and spring apple blossoms, utilizing fine lines and cross-hatching to create a textured, naturalistic scene in excellent vintage condition. The image measures 18 cm high and 12.5 cm wide, with an overall mount size of 28 cm high and 22.8 cm wide. Suitable for display in a traditional English country house interior, the mounted print works effectively as a standalone decorative work or grouped with other prints on a narrow wall space in a study, hallway, or living room. The modern mount prepares the work for placement inside a custom frame of choice to protect the paper and ink. Clare Leighton studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, becoming a pioneering figure in the twentieth-century revival of wood engraving known for portraying the English countryside. Her works are held in major institutions including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Wood engraving is a relief printing technique where an artist carves a design into the dense end grain of a hardwood block, producing fine lines and contrast between black ink and white paper.

Artists typically carved dense hardwoods such as boxwood using fine steel gravers, printing the relief surface using oil-based inks onto quality rag paper or cotton stock.

Authentic period prints display fine line definition, faint ink relief impressions visible under light, and characteristic paper aging or original book plate page margins.

Display wood engravings in slim frames as part of a gallery wall arrangement, or place them on a narrow wall space, bookshelf, or mantelpiece vignette.

Protect paper artwork by mounting with acid-free board and framing under UV-filtering glass, keeping the piece away from direct sunlight and areas of high humidity.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Period
Style
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Recently Added
Online Payments
Categories