[Great Britain] (b 1909/d 1979)
"Stone was born on 13 March 1909 at Eton College, where both his grandfather, E. D. Stone, and father, E. W. Stone, were assistant masters. He was educated there and at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in history in 1930. (..) " With no clear idea of his future, he almost drifted into a two-year apprenticeship at the Cambridge University Press (..) followed by other two years working at the printing firm of Barnicott & Pearce ; both these experiences convinced him that this was not what he wanted to do for rest of his life. Then he started to buy the wood engraved books of the 1850s and 1860s and started his own free lance career as a Wood engraver...
"Stone was a self-taught wood engraver, which makes his achievements more remarkable. He had little difficulty moving from the graver and tools of the wood engraver to the chisel and mallet of the stone carver but most of the commissions were wood engravings, as was most of his work. (...) His bookplates are distinguished particularly by the flowing elegance of the lettering and he had a very good eye for coats of arms, as shown by commissions from the Royal Family and the British Government as well as private individuals. (..) His work stood out from that of other wood engravers, who illustrated more books than Stone. Many of his commissions were for single engravings, even for books. It was a mark of distinction to have a Stone engraving on the title-page or colophon."
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Great Britain 1946 "Victory Issue" (2,2,1) [Photo] Sc(265)
Great Britain 1958 "Sixth British Empire and Commonwealth Games" (3,3,1) [Photo] Sc(338)
Great Britain (Wales) 1958/1969 "Regional Issues" (12,3,3) [Photo] Sc(1,...,12)
Great Britain 1960 "Tercentenary of the Establishment of «General Letter Office»" (2,2,1) [Photo] Sc(375)
Great Britain 1960 "1st Anniversary of European Postal and Telecommunications conference" (2,1) [joint work with P.Rahikainen][Photo] Sc(377,378)
Great Britain 1963 "Paris Postal Conference Centenary" (1) [Photo] Sc(392)
A very interesting post. Reynolds Stone’s work is a great reminder of how engraving sits at the intersection of typography, sculpture, and drawing. His letterforms always feel incredibly balanced, and the precision of his carving shows how much discipline and artistic sensitivity is required to work directly in stone. It’s impressive how a well-cut inscription can transform simple text into a lasting piece of art.
ReplyDeleteThe tradition of engraved lettering is still very much alive today, especially in fields like memorial and commemorative stonework where durability and clarity of the inscription are essential. Contemporary artisans continue to develop techniques that allow for extremely fine detail while respecting classical engraving principles. For example, the work presented by RENAUD Gravure illustrates how modern engraving can combine artistic precision with durable materials to create meaningful memorial pieces.
Thank you for sharing this insight into Reynolds Stone’s craftsmanship—it’s inspiring to see how the art of engraving continues to evolve while remaining rooted in such a strong historical tradition.