Edwin Henry Hunt

Edwin Henry Hunt, Princess Dagmar

1881

This beautiful early 20th-century aquatint is after an 18th-century engraving by Richard Earlom (1743-1822) of a work by the Dutch master, Jan Van Huysum (1682-1749). In the late 18...

This fine early 19th-century watercolour by British artist Amos Green (1735-1807) depicts an asperous gorge near Ingleton in Yorkshire. On either side of a shallow river, trees clin...

This fine mid-19th-century watercolour by Italian artist Girolamo Tubino (1805-1879) is after ‘La Velata’ (Woman with a Veil) by Raphael (1483-1520),...

This late 19th-century gouache by British artist Joseph Knight (1837-1909) depicts a gentle moorland landscape with cattle. Knight was primarily known for his naturalistic depictions of North Wales. Raised amid the hurried industrious streets of Chorlton-Upon-Medlock in Manchester, Knight was obliged to pursue a career at one of its many cotton mills. His father, also Joseph Knight, was a mill engineer and would’ve expected his son to follow suit. It appears he was sent to work at the age of four - unthinkable today, but not uncommon in the 1840s. In around 1841, Knight was involved in an accident, which resulted in the loss of his right arm. This probably coincided with him being sent, together with his siblings, to stay with relatives, Thomas and Jane Knight, also of Chorlton. Evidently, following this, he undertook a change of direction, taking the first steps on a path to artistry. During the mid to late 19th century, landscape paintings grew in popularity partly due to the desires of a new middle-class buyer but also as a tonic for increasing urbanisation. And perhaps there’s no better example of an artist who understood the restorative qualities of nature than Joseph Knight. In his early teens, he gained employment at a photography studio, primarily assisting with portraiture. With a keen eye for composition, his skills flourished and were met with much approval from staff and customers alike. It was here that he first met with Mr. Henry Crowley who was so taken by the boy’s aptitude that he encouraged him to seek a career as a painter. Crowley funded his education, enrolling him at the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, where the emphasis was on honing one’s draughtsmanship in a strict environment via diligent study and life drawing. With his technique now evolved, commissions were forthcoming - both as a painter and photographer. In the 1861 census, now married, he records his occupation as ‘Photographic artist and painter in oil’. It’s plausible that he was involved in adding tints to photographic portraits during this period while also working as a painter. As recognition of his development, in 1868, he was elected as a full member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, and a year later debuted at London’s Royal Academy with ‘Evening, Near Quimper, Brittany’ and ‘Breton Peasants’. It was around this time that he came to the attention of several of his younger contemporaries who viewed his naturalistic approach as altogether fresher and entirely modern. In a quiet rebellion against their formulaic training, they undertook to paint directly from nature, ‘en plein air’, without the rigour of academic constraints. The group, which included Joshua Anderson Hague...

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Tropic Bird" (Plate CCLXII - 262; part No. 53) Portfolio: The Birds of America, Havell Edition Year: 1835 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving with Aquatint on double-elephant folio, J. Whatman paper Limited edition: approx. 180 Printer: Robert Havell Jr., London, England Publisher: John James Audubon, London, England Framing: Not framed, but matted in a handmade custom French matting Matted size: 30" x 38.75" Sheet size: 25.5" x 36" Platemark size: 20.75" x 30.25" Image size: 18.5" x 27.75" Condition: A few tiny foxmarks. In excellent condition with clean paper and strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - New York, NY. Engraved, printed, and hand-colored by English artist Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1878). Comes from Audubon's monumental book volume "The Birds of America", (Havell Edition, 1827-1838), which consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints, made from engraved plates, with each sheet originally measuring around 39" x 26". "J. Whatman 1835" watermark upper right. Based on a composition painted between 1832 and 1835. Audubon sailed the entire length of Florida, around the Keys and as far as the Dry Tortugas, from which, on another occasion, "The specimens - in the plate were taken - by my kind friend Robert Day, Esq. of the United States Revenue Cutter...

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Sandwich Tern (with Florida Cray Fish) (Florida Keys)" (Plate CCLXXIX - 279; part No. 56) Portfo...

Artist: William Cavendish (English, 1593-1676) Title: "Welbeck Park Belongs to the Marquis of Newcastle" (Plate 38, Page 263) Portfolio: Methode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser Les Chevaux (New Method and Invention of Dressing Horses) Year: 1737 (Second edition) Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving and Etching on watermarked laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jean Brindley, London, UK Publisher: Jean Brindley, London, UK Reference: Brunet I, 1699; Graesse II:93; Lowndes VI:1663; Mellon/Podeschi 26, page 34-35; Mennessier de la Lance II, page 246-247; Nissen ZBI 848; Huth page 21 Sheet size: 17" x 21.25" Image size: 15" x 20" Condition: Toning to sheet and some edgewear in right margins. Centerfold is separated at very top and bottom in margins. It is otherwise a strong impression in good condition with strong colors Notes: With overlapping centerfold as issued. Engraved by Dutch artist Theodor van Kessel (1620-1696) after a drawing by Dutch artist Abraham van Diepenbeeck...

Artist: William Cavendish (English, 1593-1676) Title: "Captain Mazin Rides, and the Marquis Gives the Lesson" (Plate 17, Page 76) Portfolio: Methode et Invention Nouvelle de Dresser ...