Engraving exhibit rides into town.

February 2012

Etching tool and dies used in traditional die-stamping will star in a new Cromwell exhibition in Huntington, on loan from Baddeley Brothers.

‘The Headless Horseman’ exhibition at the Cromwell Museum is displaying a series of seven prints, derived from the Van Dyck portrait of Charles I on horseback. The prints start off with Cromwell's head on the rider's body before showing Charles I and then reverting back to Cromwell again. It is one of the most complicated sequences of prints of the mid-seventeenth century and each version is a re-working of the original copper printing plate. The tools and dies from Baddeley Brothers will be on display to demonstrate the printing technique which was used to create the prints at the time.

Director Charles Pertwee commented: “This clearly demonstrates the tradition of engraving and the powerful influence of the printing press. Our dies will give visitors the chance to see how these images were created and the craftsmanship that was required to produce them. “

The exhibition runs until early May 2012. For more information see www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/cromwell