Roman Waher’s wood engravings for “Wines of South Africa”

The illustrations for Gordon Bagnall’s “Wines of South Africa” (published by the KWV in 1961 and re-issued in 1972) were taken from wood engravings made by Roman Waher.  The engravings, all 8 of them, was also available as limited numbered sets, individually signed, dated and titled by Waher. They depicted the history of Cape wine under the following titles:

Bringing the vine to the Cape

Van Riebeeck’s first wine

Groot Constantia

A Cape vineyard

Old drinking vessels

Ancient wine vessels

Shipping the wine

In the KWV cellars

There were only 250 sets produced which today makes them very scarce. The engravings measuring 330mm x 500mm came in a protective black paper sleeve. Shown below are images of set number 95.

Roman Waher was an Estonian who studied in Leipzig. Born in 1909, lived in South Africa from 1964 and passed away in 1975. He also taught graphic art at the Michaelis School of Art.

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