Scotch Firs, Inveroran
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."
Scotch firs stand on a sloping hill, in the foreground, to the left; at mid-distance, a river valley with trees seen from distance.
"State II (D1, H1). The distant mountain is removed, although in some impressions a few faint lines can be seen to the right of the foreground trees."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 285]
"Published State: First.-The mountain-top is removed. This and No. 149 were executed in strong outline to serve as a basis for mezzotint, somewhat in the manner of the Liber Studiorum plates."
[Source: Harrington, p. 74]
Scotch firs stand on a sloping hill, in the foreground, to the left; at mid-distance, a river valley with trees seen from distance.
"State II (D1, H1). The distant mountain is removed, although in some impressions a few faint lines can be seen to the right of the foreground trees."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 285]
"Published State: First.-The mountain-top is removed. This and No. 149 were executed in strong outline to serve as a basis for mezzotint, somewhat in the manner of the Liber Studiorum plates."
[Source: Harrington, p. 74]
Artwork Details
- Title: Scotch Firs, Inveroran
- Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
- Date: 1873
- Medium: Etching; first (final) state (Harrington); second state of three (Schneiderman)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 11 1/4 × 15 7/8 in. (28.6 × 40.3 cm)
Plate: 9 7/8 × 15 in. (25.1 × 38.1 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.612
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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