Whitfield Yew
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."
A large yew in the foreground at right; a sloping wooded hill in the background.
"First.-The foreground and signature, the trees in the wood to the right, the nearer trees to the left, and a portion of the sky, removed, so that the old yew-tree now stands out more distinctly."
[Source: Harrington, p. 70]
"State II (H1). The foreground; the trees at the right and directly to the left of the yew; a portion of the sky and foul-biting at the left including some of the hills; some of the work at the top of the yew and the inscription removed."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 267]
A large yew in the foreground at right; a sloping wooded hill in the background.
"First.-The foreground and signature, the trees in the wood to the right, the nearer trees to the left, and a portion of the sky, removed, so that the old yew-tree now stands out more distinctly."
[Source: Harrington, p. 70]
"State II (H1). The foreground; the trees at the right and directly to the left of the yew; a portion of the sky and foul-biting at the left including some of the hills; some of the work at the top of the yew and the inscription removed."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 267]
Artwork Details
- Title: Whitfield Yew
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1869
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; first (final) state (Harrington); second state of three (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 9 1/16 × 12 3/8 in. (23 × 31.5 cm)
Plate: 6 in. × 9 7/16 in. (15.2 × 23.9 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.604
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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