Ludlow Castle

1869
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 distant view of Ludlow castle and its walls in the background; trees, reflected in the river, in the foreground.
"Published State: First.-'Ludlow Castle Seymour Haden 1869.'"
[Source: Harrington, p. 69]
"Ludlow Castle is a medieval fortress-type castle on the Teme in Shropshire, on the Welsh border.
State I (Da, 2 impressions; H1). A distant view of the castle's crenelated keep and courtyard walls, and their reflection in a river below. Foul-bite in the lower left with the inscription 'Ludlow Castle, Seymour Haden 1869'(E, l.l.)."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 267]

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ludlow Castle
  • Artist: Sir Francis Seymour Haden (British, London 1818–1910 Bramdean, Hampshire)
  • Date: 1869
  • Medium: Etching and drypoint; first (final) state (Harrington); only state (Schneiderman)
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 8 1/8 × 12 5/8 in. (20.6 × 32 cm)
    Plate: 5 1/2 × 8 7/16 in. (14 × 21.4 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.3.603
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Sir Francis Seymour Haden - Ludlow Castle - The Metropolitan Museum of Art