Old Willesley House
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."
Etching on zinc.
"Published State: First.-The foul biting in the sky almost removed, and some work added to the middle distance, the wall, and the back of the man with the scythe."
[Source: Harrington, p. 50]
"State III (H1). The foul-biting and some of the clouds, especially in the upper part of the sky and to the left of the tree, removed; drypoint work removed from the foreground and middle distance. Additional etched work on man's back, on ground before wall and in foreground."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 211]
Etching on zinc.
"Published State: First.-The foul biting in the sky almost removed, and some work added to the middle distance, the wall, and the back of the man with the scythe."
[Source: Harrington, p. 50]
"State III (H1). The foul-biting and some of the clouds, especially in the upper part of the sky and to the left of the tree, removed; drypoint work removed from the foreground and middle distance. Additional etched work on man's back, on ground before wall and in foreground."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 211]
Artwork Details
- Title: Old Willesley House
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1865
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; first (final) state (Harrington); third state of four (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 1/4 × 13 9/16 in. (26.1 × 34.4 cm)
Plate: 6 7/8 × 9 15/16 in. (17.4 × 25.3 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.555
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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