When it comes to the painting of rural and country life #GeorgeMorland was one of Britains’ greatest.  I acquired a stipple engraving  and an etching both after Morland  paintings.  They both are concerning the pastime of hunting and I will add two aquatints to the chapter today also.

Hare Shooting
engraved by C. Cotton after George Morland

George Morland (1763-1804) was born into an artistic family.  His talent was spotted while he was very young and nurtured by his father.  Copying the great Masters was his beginning but he quickly developed his own style.  He was a handsome young man who worked hard and partied hard.  Elegant, refined subjects slowly were replaced by scenes of humble life in town and country, coastal scenes with fishermen and smugglers, sporting scenes, and most often cottage life, stable scenes, inn court-yard scenes involving lively groups of natural men and women, and still more natural horses, donkeys, dogs, pigs, poultry, and other animals.

Partridge Shooting
George Morland pinx
@ 1798

His paintings have a fresh and unaffected style. Morland was a keen observer of minute detail and this shows in his meticulous painting and yet he worked quickly producing hundreds of works – it is sad that in the last eight years of his life he produced some 900 paintings and over a 1000 drawings (that’s almost 1.5 pieces a day) A prodigious output.

Pointer
engraving by J. Scott after P. Reinagle

#JamesScott (1809-1889) was one of the best engravers of his time.  He worked with many of the best artists of his time with this image after English painter #PhilipReinagle.  A superb engraving which has been nicely hand-coloured.  And to finish this chapter, an etching of a hunting scene which one would certainly not find occurring today.

Heron Shooting – A Cooler after a big Drink’
drawn and etched by Rawlins & Alken with aquatint by E. Duncan
@ 1835

Heron shooting certainly not a sport that one would find today.  but another finely hand-coloured etching with aquatint .