Seymour Haden (1818-1910), Shere Mill Pond II (Large Plate), etching and drypoint, 1860, signed in pencil lower right [also signed in the plate lower right]. Schneiderman 37, sixth state (of 9). In good condition (skillfully repaired hole in the sky upper left) with margins, on a cream/ivory laid paper,  7 x 13 1/2, the sheet 8 1/8 x 13 3/4 inches.

A very good impression, with rich burr in the reeds toward the right.

Provenance: Frederick Keppel and Co., New York, NY.

Illustrated: Guichard, British Etchers, 1850-1940; Keppel, The Golden Age of Engraving; Print Collector’s Quarterly 1 (1911): 1; Guichard, British Etchers, 1850-1940.

Keppel appended to his label the following quotation of not-so-faint praise from P.G. Hamerton, Etching and Etchers, p. 305: “With the single exception of one plate by Claude [Lorrain], this is the finest etching of a landscape subject that has ever been executed in the world.”  Praise a bit too lavish to be sure, but Shere Mill Pond II was one of the early highlights of the British Etching Revival.

Detail

Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910), Kensington Gardens (The Small Plate), drypoint, 1859, signed in pencil lower right. References: Harrington 12, Schneiderman 15, third/fourth state (of 10). In very good condition, on a thin Japan paper, with margins, 6 1/4 x 4 1/2, the sheet 8 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches, archival mounting (window mat, unattached mylar hinging).

A very fine impression, carefully wiped above the chimneys in the background, with blacks of the trees and shadows in the foreground contrasting effectively with the greys of the mansion to create a marvelous sense of depth.

We believe this is the third state, before the inscription by Whistler (the name Seymour Haden at the bottom) is completely removed, but it may be the fourth state or an intermediate state between the two – the name Kensington appears twice, once at the left and again is visible at the right.

At this time Whistler, Haden’s brother in law, was learning printmaking and working closely with Haden. Haden was a surgeon, but had a long and distinguished career as one of the leading British etchers.

]]> http://harrisschrank.com/kensington-gardens-the-small-plate.htm/feed 0 http://harrisschrank.com/combe-bottom.htm http://harrisschrank.com/combe-bottom.htm#comments Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:25:34 +0000 Harris Schrank http://harrisschrank.com/?p=340 Seymour Haden (1818-1910), Combe Bottom, etching and drypoint, 1860, signed in pencil lower right margin [also signed in the plate lower left and annotated "Shere"]. Reference: Schneiderman 32, tenth state (of 16). In very good condition, printed in black ink on ivory laid paper, with margins, 4 1/2 x 5 15/16, the sheet 6 x 8 inches, window mat. Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Crossett, with their stamp verso (not yet in Lugt).  A substantial part of Crossett’s distinguished and large print collection is now part of the Mead Museum collection at Amherst College. A fine fresh impression. In [...]]]>

Seymour Haden (1818-1910), Combe Bottom, etching and drypoint, 1860, signed in pencil lower right margin [also signed in the plate lower left and annotated "Shere"]. Reference: Schneiderman 32, tenth state (of 16). In very good condition, printed in black ink on ivory laid paper, with margins, 4 1/2 x 5 15/16, the sheet 6 x 8 inches, window mat.

Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Crossett, with their stamp verso (not yet in Lugt).  A substantial part of Crossett’s distinguished and large print collection is now part of the Mead Museum collection at Amherst College.

A fine fresh impression. In this state Haden has added the wonderful light touch of long shadows to the left of the rabbits.

Combe Bottom is in Shere, Surrey; this is still a scenic area of great recreational and scientific interest.

Sir Seymour Haden was a surgeon who became one of the leading printmakers of the 19th Century. Combe Bottom was created during his best creative period, shortly after he began working with his brother-in-law James Whistler.

The New York Times notes, in an article on a 1911 sale of Haden prints, that Combe Bottom sold for $220.

$750

A superb impression of this famed image, with extensive burr, in black ink.

A Sunset in Ireland is surely Haden’s greatest masterpiece, and in this impression it’s clear why: the composition works superbly, and the drypoint burr achieves an astonishing velvet, atmospheric, quality. In this state, before some added drypoint at the left bank and before the cancellation of the plate, we see the definitive structure and composition of the print.

Haden depicts a scene of tranquillity and calm in the estate of Viscount Hawarden, in Tipperary. Dr. Haden was a fisherman as well as a surgeon and artist, and so this was surely a river scene (the river is the Dundrum or Malteen) with special meaning to him.