Charles Edward Wilson artist

Recently, I came across a set of four lithographic prints. They were all based on one artist’s work. In truth, I was only interested in one of the four. All four are images of the Antarctica which were painted by #CharlesEdwardWilson.

Hut Point from the top of Observation Hill. April 1, 1911.
Looking north in McMurdo Sound, Frost smoke, 16 April, 1911
Cape Evans in Winter
Iridescent clouds looking north from Cape where the explorers waited for months Evans, 3 June, 1911

The three prints above are modern photographic prints.

Wilson was a doctor, ornithologist, and artist. He joined Scott on the Discovery Expedition to Antarctica from 1901-1904, later returning to Antarctica on the ill-fated Terra Nova. He created watercolours, sketches, and observations that portrayed the polar environment and expedition life. Wilson sketched with pencil, notating colours for later painting. A trick he used was to add vodka to his watercolour water to keep it from freezing. He produced studies of birds and the polar environment, which later became the basis for the book Edward Wilson’s Birds of the Antarctic.

Wilson perished alongside Scott and his comrads of the expedition.

Mount Erebus April 2, 1911 – 6pm
Note on verso.

The last print is actually a true lithograph with colour layed upon colour. A note on the back says that it should be sold to advance The Boys Scouts back in 1962 and sold for the princely sum of £10. In todays money, you would be looking between £350 to £450 for this print. A lovely and historically informative piece.

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Jan van Eyck a beginning

As I was writing the previous chapter, I discovered that the drawing was of a painting by #JanVanEyck. Van Eyck is considered the creator, or almost so, of oil painting. There are about 20 paintings that exist today of his. Although he did paint a number of portraits, most of his paintings are depictions of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child on her lap in church interiors or chapels as well as a possible worshipper (patron) with them.

Jan van Eyck- engraving by Lampsonius @ 1572

Throughout Van Eyck’s religious paintings, one sees the juxtaposition of the spiritual world with the secular. In the drawing and painting, the carvings on the columns above Rolin’s head are scenes from the bible while the church situated above his folded hands may be a symbol of his great financial support for his local church.

Detail of main body of drawing

I find it interesting that there are a number of missing or changed items in the drawing from the painting. The four main alterations are 1. there is no castle in the middle of the river in the central arch, 2. the is only one child on the patio, 3. the peacocks become smaller in size, and the one on the wall goes from male to female,] 4. the angel with the crown does not appear at all in the drawing. There are a few other small differences, and this tells me that if this drawing was created to copy the painting, then those differences would not be there.

Detail of #ChancellorRolin
Detail of central arch, patio and river
Detail of the Christ Child
Detail of #VirginandChild

Van Eyck was a master at creating depth and giving his paintings a 3 dimensional feeling. He was also a master at producing an almost photographic effect in his backgrounds, which are filled with immense detail.

I sit wondering why create such a detailed drawing with obvious errors and omissions. It is a question I can not answer, but it is fun considering the reasons.

Drawing of #TheRolinMadonna
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With the pricking of a pin

Today, I came across a drawing that I thought, at first, was a print, but after closer inspection, I found that this piece is actually something special. It was in a very cheap frame (I will put it in something more fitting), so it did not have much appeal. After inspection, I realised that the sheet had been glued to a thick backing paper. The sheet itself bore many small creases and a tear. This, I put down to its age.

Ink drawing with pin holes of The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck @ 1435

As you can see from the above image, the drawing is of Mary and the Christ Child with possibly St Jerome or another saint. It is very Italianate in style. It is done in mostly black ink (over pencil) with a couple of areas of brown ink and some splashes of colour.

Detail of the Christ Child

It is a fine drawing, but the exciting thing about this piece is that it is full of holes. Little pin pricks along each contour line. This drawing was created by the master of the studio. It would then be laid on another sheet of paper and pricked through by a student. This second sheet with only holes in it would be laid on a prepared surface/canvas and pounced/dabbed with a small sachet of charcoal dust. Thus marking the underlying surface with dots of charcoal, which the artist would follow as he painted.

Detail of The Madonna
Detail of Chancellor Rolin

Usually, the drawing or cartoon was kept in the off chance that copies of the piece were to be made.

Detail of Chancellor Rolin
Detail of Chancellor Rolin’s hands and cityscape

This method was often used in the renaissance by artists like Michelangelo, Raphael and da Vinci to imprint segments of larger works on to prepared surfaces.

The dating of this piece is very difficult. The paper displays great age as well as the techniques involved. I will guess at a wide age gap, which will range from 1550 to 1800. It is a beautiful piece with rare techniques, and this makes it a fine addition to my collection.

After more research, I have found that this image was painted by #JanVanEyck around 1435. The piece is called #TheMadonnaofChancellorRolin (or the #RolinMadonna) and presently hangs in #TheMuseeDuLouvre in Paris.

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A Visit with Allen William Seaby

This week, I came across a watercolour by artist #AllenWilliamSeaby (1867-1953). Seaby is best remembered as an ornithological (birds) painter and printmaker in the Japanese style using woodblocks. He collaborated/published a number of books ranging from art history, painting techniques, and children’s literature. There is a little history on the back of the piece that explains why this artwork was created.

History on recto of frame.

This piece,’The Keystone of the Arch’, was commissioned by the Master of #TempleMarkLodge173 to provide inspiration to himself and others.

Seaby was born in London and studied art at the Reading School of Art. Seaby went on to teach at the University of Reading for many years.

The painting from which he made a woodblock print is created using a subdued colour palette with simple and loose brushwork. In many ways, it is perfect for making into a woodblock print. It is 9 1/4″ x 12 1/4″ (235×310). I have to guess at the age of this piece since neither the commendation on the recto nor the image itself is dated, but I would put it in the 1930s to 40s. A beautiful example of Seaby’s working style.

The Keystone of the Arch – watercolour by Allen William Seaby
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Isaac Taylor engraver

I recently added a book published in 1809 to my collection. To be fair, the book is in rough shape. The front and rear covers are separated from the spine, the pages are aged and discoloured, but within these pages are engravings by #IsaacTaylor (1759-1829). The book is called #TheLifeofChrist. Taylor was born in London. His father was also named Isaac Taylor (1730-1807), and son followed father into the engraving trade. Taylor (the younger) married and moved to Lavenham in Suffolk. Here he became z well known itinerant preavher. Life as an engraver was not easy, and when Isaac received a call to pastor an independent church, he moved to Colchester, and finally to Ongar in Essex to pastor another nonconformist church, where he resided until his death.

The Flight into Egypt – engraving by Isaac Taylor @ 1807
The temptation of Christ – engraving by Isaac Taylor @ 1807

I find these works fascinating and beautiful, wonderfully expressive. To me, there is just something extraordinary in these sublimely engraved black and white images. Age makes them more accessible and more expressive. Look upon the agony in the woman’s face as Christ is crucified, the anger in the body of the soldier as he drives the nail into Christ’s feet. I look at the edges of the pages themselves and see they have been touched hundreds maybe thousands of times. This book has been loved. Maybe that is why I love the imperfect. For I have seen pristine antique engravings, clean and untarnished as the day they were printed but these usually fail to move me for they in all their perfection have not been cherished, looked upon day after day, and loved. Even in some mysterious way affecting people’s lives.

The Crucifixion – engraving by Isaac Taylor  @ 1808
Angels carrying Lazarus to heaven – engraving by Isaac Taylor @ 1808
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Two Oddities

I picked up two items recently, which are outside of my usual pervue. They are both created by artists from very different fields. The first we will look at is a hand carved #decoy of a wood pigeon from the late 19th to early 20th century. It comes with a little damage and signs of woodworm but is still a fine example of this genre.

The #pigeon shows its’ original paint and unlike later decoys it has naile ss eyes and not glass eye beads. There is a pyramid shaped hole in the bottom indicating that in its original form, it might have been a rocking pigeon, but it has lost the mechanism.

The second piece was thrown in 1915 at the #BraunstonPottery in Devon. The pottery opened in 1912 and ran until 1971. I bought this piece because my wife loves blue, and this small vase is cobalt blue.

This piece also has a small amount of damage but is still a lovely example of the work that Braunton was creating even during wartime.

Hope you enjoyed the pair of unordinary pieces, for me, but these works were created by artists for everyday use.

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Two Landscapes

Today, we look at two landscapes, one oil and one watercolour. The oil is a view overlooking the parklands at Hassobury, Farnham, Bishop Stortford. Hassobury is a Victorian Gothic mansion, originally built for the Gosling family, was sold and converted into a private school and has now been redone into a residence. The parklands is delightful and the drive to the mansion consists of paddocks and meadows.

Parklands, Hassobury – oil by I. S. Duncan
Hassobury Parkland

The watercolour is a scene looking across rolling hills and farmland. In the fore is a field being turned by a pair of shire horses pulling a plough. It is simplistic in many ways and yet the portrayal of the horses is superb. This unknown artist has, I think, managed to capture something very beautiful.

Working the Land – unknown artist
the shire horses

Both of these landscapes capture the peace and serenity of the countryside, the beauty of nature and sunshine with green fields, blue skies, and farm animals. As one gazes on these works it’s easy to imagine oneself being there and walking the countryside in the sunshine and fresh air.

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Charles Edward Hannaford artist

Some weeks back, I visited a charity shop. They at times expose frames and pictures to ghd dldmdnts due to their lack of sale value. I looked thru these pieces and did not find any that I might purchase. One of those pieces was a poster that had been framed. I went to look elsewhere in the charity but eventually came back, finding that someone had opened the frame and taken the poster. This action exposed the piece that I then picked up.

The exposed piece was a watercolour landscape. It bore a title and signature in the lower left of the piece. I thought it a good piece.

The Pass of Glencoe, Scotland – watercolour by Charles Edward Hannaford (1863-1955)

A quite beautiful image of ‘The Pass of Glencoe, Scotland’ by #CharlesEdwardHannaford (1863-1955). Hannaford was born in Liverpool and studied art in London and Paris. He was educated as an engineer/architect, and his work brought him to the notice of artists William Cook and Stanhope Forbes. He was also well thought of and collected by the Royal family. His art brought him to reside in Plymouth, Cornwall, London, and finally moving to Norfolk settling in the town of Thorpe. A very good piece even after being exposed to the elements.

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A Bit of Local History

I have lived in the city of Ely since moving to England and am always pleased to find pieces of art of local interest. In this case, it is of interest in regards to the place portrayed as well as the creating artist. The small lithograph shows #ElyCemetary as it was shortly after it opened in 1855. I can date this print to no later than 1870 since the company that pressed the stone moved from the address shown in 1870. The cemetary, itself, was divided into two sections – Anglican and Nonconformist.

Ely Cemetary  – lithograph by Henry Baines @ 1855-70

The lithograph was done by #HenryBaines (1823-1894). Henry Baines is the younger brother to the more famous #ThomasBaines. Henry studied in London and Europe, then returning home to establish his own art academy. Henry’s works comprised of East Anglian landscapes and coastal views featuring sailing ships, fishing boats, and views of King’s Lynn. The images of his hometown are historically important since they show real life in the city in the 19th century.

A nice piece of local history on two aspects.

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Isabella Hedley, part two

We return to Isabella Hedley and her drawings. Once again, we see quite a competent artist producing good quality works.

Cottage at Hastings – drawing by Isabella Hedley after Paul Sandby Munn @ 1837

A number of these drawings come from the drawing course, which was published by SamuelProut.

Untitled – drawing by Isabella Hedley @ 1837
Fisherman’s Hut, Isle of Wight – drawing by Isabella Hedley @ 1837
Near Plymouth – drawing by Isabella Hedley after Samuel Prout @ 1837

We also see two drawings from European sites.

At Wurtzburg – drawing by Isabella Hedley after Samuel Prout @ 1837
St Margaret’s Chapel, Glastonbury  – drawing by Isabella Hedley after Samuel Prout @ 1837

Also, in this set of drawings from 1837, there are two landscape scenes focusing on trees. These two images may be Isabella’s own works for her tutor/drawing class since I have been unable to find images of them.

Untitled – drawing by Isabella Hedley @ 1837
Fir Tree near Sir William Long’s house, Kempston, Bedfordshire  – drawing by Isabella Hedley @ 1837

Again, all of these drawings show a fine artistic eye and a very fine technique.

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