The Moat House
Sir Francis Seymour Haden British
Not on view
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 river stream in the foreground; to the right, a high bank with overgrown vegetation; at middle distance, a moat house with a sloping roof.
"Published States: First.-The poplar erased. This plate, begun at Willesley, was, with the exception of the house, finished at Sonning."
[Source: Harrington, p. 55]
"State III (D1, H1). The poplar and other work above the roof removed and additional burnishing or wear of drypoint work in foreground, in trees at right center and shading on shoulder of one of the cows. The triangular-shaped rock near the bank on right has additional shading."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 211]
