Cadaval, Cintra
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 stone-banked country road leads from the left foreground to the distance at right; man drawing and leaning againts cintra tree at left.
"State IV (H1). The gap in the wall filled in with etched work and additional work on shading on road. There is foul-biting in the sky at the upper left and faint drypoint lines (or printer's scratches) in the sky."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 341]
"Published States: First.-The gap in the wall is filled in with fresh work. The title, signature, and date very faint. The figure under the tree is that of Sir J. C. Robinson."
[Source: Harrington, p. 95]
