Penton Hook
Seymour Haden was the unlikely combination of a surgeon and an etcher. Although he pursued a very successful medical career, he is mostly remembered for his etched work as well as for his writings on etching. He was one of a group of artists, including James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) and Alphonse Legros (1837–1911), whose passionate interest in the medium led to the so-called etching revival, a period that lasted well into the twentieth century. The extolling of etching for its inherent spontaneous qualities reached its pinnacle during this time. While the line of the etching needle, Haden wrote, was "free, expressive, full of vivacity," that of the burin was "cold, constrained, uninteresting," and "without identity."
In this work, an ancient, hollow tree leans over a river, as a man rests against the trunk and a boy fishes at left. Harrington's early catalogue describes this as the first state "with the dry-point touches in various parts of the plate...a series of oblique parallel lines facing the seated figure at the base of a tree-trunk." [p. 35] Schneiderman's later, more detailed, analysis designated it as state five of six, with "light drypoint in the foliage and in space between the riven stems and, most notably, a series of oblique parallel lines near face of figure seated near tree [and] some wear of the drypoint during printing." [p. 167]
In this work, an ancient, hollow tree leans over a river, as a man rests against the trunk and a boy fishes at left. Harrington's early catalogue describes this as the first state "with the dry-point touches in various parts of the plate...a series of oblique parallel lines facing the seated figure at the base of a tree-trunk." [p. 35] Schneiderman's later, more detailed, analysis designated it as state five of six, with "light drypoint in the foliage and in space between the riven stems and, most notably, a series of oblique parallel lines near face of figure seated near tree [and] some wear of the drypoint during printing." [p. 167]
Artwork Details
- Title: Penton Hook
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1864
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; first (final) state (Harrington); fifth state of six (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Plate: 5 13/16 × 9 1/4 in. (14.8 × 23.5 cm)
Sheet: 7 13/16 × 12 1/8 in. (19.9 × 30.8 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.326
- 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.
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
The Fine Art Society, London
1879
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
The Fine Art Society, London
1879
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
1864
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
1865
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
1860
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.