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Connoisseurs

Publisher S. W. Fores British
June 20, 1799
Not on view
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

Object Information
  • 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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Migrants, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
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Thomas Rowlandson
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Going to Ivy Bridge, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Going to Ivy Bridge
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827
The Sailor's Return from Active Service, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
The Sailor's Return from Active Service
Thomas Rowlandson
1780–1827
Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785, Thomas Rowlandson British, Hand-colored etching
Departure of Blanchard and Jeffries' Balloon from Dover, January 7, 1785
Multiple artists/makers
January 1794
Ships and Sailors, Thomas Rowlandson British, Watercolor
Ships and Sailors
Thomas Rowlandson
late 18th–early 19th century

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