Donkey and Cart 1893 Pencil 181 x 305 mm The donkey and cart are seen from the left side, there is a basket in the back of the cart. May was a portrait and caricature artist who arrived in London in 1883 and went on to work in Sydney, Australia, Italy and Paris before returning … Read more
Christ and the Woman of Samaria 1658 Etching with drypoint 126 x 156 mm The subject is from ‘John’, iv: 7-26. Three later paintings of the theme are in the Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Hermitage, St Petersburg. Rembrandt also made two etchings of the subject, one dated 1634, the other … Read more
Study of a Nude Figure London, About 1847 Red chalk on buff paper 165 x 164 mm This nude study is one of numerous preparatory studies for decorative frieze (now in the Walker Art Gallery) which was commissioned by the Blundell family for Deysbrook House, near Liverpool. The drawing is probably part of a larger … Read more
Christ and the Woman of Samaria Amsterdam, late 1640s Pen and brown ink 210 x 190 mm At Sychar in the West Bank, Christ meets the Samaritan Woman at a well. Christ uses the well’s water as an analogy for Christian salvation and the sacrament of the Eucharist. The well’s water offers no heavenly reward. … Read more
Portrait of Frederick Walker (1840-1875) Red chalk heightened with white on buff paper 496 x 612 mm The artist is standing in his studio, and is seen at three-quarter length, a brush in his right hand, his head turned three-quarters to the right. Behind him, on an easel, is a picture. In front of the … Read more
Tancred and Erminia About 1720-1734 Engraving 452 x 559 mm After Poussin (see also Paintings, Poussin, No.38.9). Thought to be the only surviving reproductive engraving of Poussin’s Tancred and Erminia. Purchased 1939 (No.39.19)
The Palazzo della Sacra Consulta 1752 Etching with engraving 405 x 610 mm This print shows the façade of a palace in central Rome designed by Ferdinando Fuga in 1732 for Pope Clement XII, which housed the papal tribunal, termed the Consulta. The building is now used as the Supreme Court of Italy. Piranesi was … Read more
The Palazzo di Montecitorio, Rome Rome, 1760-78 Etching with line-engraving 400 x 611 mm The imposing 16th-century exterior of the Palazzo di Montecitorio stretches into the hazy distance. Ghostly outlines of buildings and the column of Marcus Aurelius (193 AD) shimmer in the background. The combination of classical sculpture, 16th-century architecture and the 18th century … Read more
Lady Ann Dawson (Née Fermor) London, 1754 Mezzotint 380 x 278 mm This print reproduces one of the first portraits that Reynolds painted on his return from his studies in Italy. Lady Ann Dawson (1733-1769) is shown in the guise of Diana the virgin goddess of hunting, with a spear, crescent moon on her forehead, … Read more
La collation Paris, 1720s Engraving 457 x 334 mm This print reproduces a painting by Watteau, one of the most successful painters in Paris during the early 18th century. Watteau pioneered a new category of painting known as ‘fêtes galantes’ that depicted the idle pursuits of the aristocracy. Such scenes were produced in large numbers … Read more
La Tour de l’Horloge, Paris 1852 Etching 255 x 186 mm Meryon was known for his small but lively sketches of Parisian life. This print belongs to a series of works, Etchings of Paris, produced between 1850 and 1854 for the journal L’Artiste documenting old architectural landmarks. It shows the clock tower, the first of … Read more
The Apparition to St Petronius of the Virgin and Child with St Sebastian Mantua, 1605, published by Andrea Andreani (c. 1560-1623) Woodcut 385 x 295 mm According to Christian legend St Sebastian was sentenced to death for his faith by the Roman emperor Diocletian. A solitary arrow is the only indication of his painful persecution. … Read more
Landscape Mid 17th century Pen and brown wash Sheet 246 x 146 mm; mount 631 x 518 mm Possibly by a Dutch imitator of Claude, working in Italy. The subject has some affinities with the centre of no. 24 in Claude’s ‘Liber Veritatis’ in the British Museum. Purchased 1936 (No.36.2)
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts 1938 Watercolour and bodycolour 730 x 1355 mm This work was commissioned by the Henry Barber Trust in September 1938 to mark the completion of the building. Commissioned by the Henry Barber Trust, 1938 (No.38.15)
The Parting of David and Jonathan About 1632/3 Pen and wash Sheet 206 x 268 mm; mount 630 x 516 mm The subject which was formerly known as ‘The reconciliation of David and Absalom’, is from I ‘Samuel’, xx: 41-2, and thought to be by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 – 1669). It is treated … Read more