A Castle, County Wicklow
Sir Francis Seymour Haden British
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."
In the background, surmounting a mountain, a castle seen from distance; extensive vegetation in the foreground and near the castle.
"Published State: First.-The plate is re-bitten, and the vacant space filled in with boughs and foliage. The plate now measures 4 in. h."
[Source: Harrington, p. 59]
" 'This is the castle of the late Mr. Howeard Brooke'
State IV (H1). The plate reduced to 103 x 138 mm. Etched boughs and foliage fill the foreground. There is light drypoint work in the upper left."
[Source: Schneiderman, p. 237]
