Connoisseurs
Rowlandson here directs his visual wit against a group of elderly art enthusiasts who lean in appreciatively to examine a painting of Venus and Cupid. Their lecherous expressions, the voluptuous subject before them, and the biblical scene of Susanna and the elders on the wall behind all suggest that their devotion to art does not arise out of aesthetic appreciation alone. To create texture and shadow, the artist etched a network of fine lines, using touches of stipple to help define the forms. Rowlandson's publisher would have directed the watercolor additions.
Artwork Details
- Title: Connoisseurs
- Artist: Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London)
- Publisher: S. W. Fores (London)
- Date: June 20, 1799
- Medium: Hand-colored etching
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 10 1/8 × 7 11/16 in. (25.7 × 19.5 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
- Object Number: 59.533.1943
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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