Head of a Scottish Deerhound, after Landseer's "Hafed"
Earl here uses watercolor to reproduce a work that the great Victorian animal painter, Sir Edwin Landseer, made in 1835 of a favorite deerhound. Shown in profile, the dog extends its tongue slightly and wears a ringed leather collar. Several printmakers had reproduced the image during the nineteenth century, and a painting, attributed to Landseer, is now at Lotherton Hall, part of Leeds Museums and Galleries. Since the color scheme of the present work echoes that of the Leeds painting, we must assume that the artist worked from a colored model rather than a monochrome print.
Born into a family of animal painters, Earl became a canine artist at a time when few women succeeded as professionals. Her father George Earl (1824-1908) taught her at the outset and emphasized drawing from life and studying skeletons to master animal anatomy. Further study at the Royal Female School of Art enabled Earl to debut at the Royal Academy in 1884. She then became an admired painter of dogs and received commissions from the royal family. When World War I severely impacted British cultural life, she emigrated to New York. This watercolor once belonged to the leading American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, who bred deerhounds on her Connecticut estate and often portrayed them. Huntington also gave the Met an etching by John Cother Webb (1855–1927) after Landseer's "Hafed" (see 1974.672.19). The precision of Earl's watercolor copy communicates her reverence for a prominent predecessor.
Born into a family of animal painters, Earl became a canine artist at a time when few women succeeded as professionals. Her father George Earl (1824-1908) taught her at the outset and emphasized drawing from life and studying skeletons to master animal anatomy. Further study at the Royal Female School of Art enabled Earl to debut at the Royal Academy in 1884. She then became an admired painter of dogs and received commissions from the royal family. When World War I severely impacted British cultural life, she emigrated to New York. This watercolor once belonged to the leading American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, who bred deerhounds on her Connecticut estate and often portrayed them. Huntington also gave the Met an etching by John Cother Webb (1855–1927) after Landseer's "Hafed" (see 1974.672.19). The precision of Earl's watercolor copy communicates her reverence for a prominent predecessor.
Artwork Details
- Title: Head of a Scottish Deerhound, after Landseer's "Hafed"
- Artist: Maud Earl (British, London 1863/4–1943 New York)
- Artist: After Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (British, London 1802–1873 London)
- Date: 1885–1900
- Medium: Watercolor and graphite
- Dimensions: sheet: 7 1/8 x 7 1/4 in. (18 x 18.4 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Anna H. Huntington, 1950
- Object Number: 50.620.2
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1843
Thomas Girtin
1796–97
John Ruskin
1849–50
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760
William Blake
ca. 1803–5
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.