A Boy and Two Greyhounds Resting
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (London 1802 - London 1873)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1819 - 1823 (exh at BI)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
700 x 890 mm
Order this imageCollection
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
NT 290203
Caption
Isabel Harpur Crewe, who lived at Calke, where this picture hangs, described this as "one of Sir Edwin Landseer's earliest exhibited pictures, and painted when he was only seventeen or eighteen." Although this is possible, the bill for the frame is dated 1823 and the picture was exhibited at the Royal Institution in the same year It has unfortunately been ruined by inept restoration. Landseer was an artist acclaimed for his depictions of animals, but perhaps his most famous works are the sculptures of lions in Trafalgar Square. He painted quickly, and was apparently able to paint with both hands at the same time.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, A Boy and Two Greyhounds Resting by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (London 1802 - London 1873), circa 1819-1823. A black and white greyhound lies in the foreground and a brown one standing beside it. Behind them a fair haired boy in a green coat sits with another dog, his back to the viewer. Two dead hares in the righthand foreground. (Restored) (Inventory card). Isabel Harpur Crewe describes this as 'one of Sir Edwin Landseer's earliest exhibited pictures and painted when he was only 17 or 18'. Although this is possible, the bill for the frame is dated 1823 and the picture was exhibited at the British Institution in the same year. (House Guide, last revised 1996).
Provenance
Bought by Sir George Crewe, 8th Bt (1795-1844) at the British Institution in 1823 through Sir Thomas Lawrence (a letter of 1829 from Sir Thomas to Sir George makes clear that Lawrence was buying paintings and drawings for him.); Calke Abbey was given to the National Trust by Henry Harpur Crewe (1921-1991) and the contents, including this painting, were acquired with the aid of a grant from the National Heritage Fund, thanks to a special allocation of money from the Government, in 1984
Credit line
Calke Abbey, The Harpur Crewe Collection (acquired with the help of the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund)
Makers and roles
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (London 1802 - London 1873), artist