Collections

Stefano della Bella (1610-1664)

by

Les cinqs morts – Death on horseback Italy, 1648 Etching with engraving 191 x 151 mm Here, the horse charges out of the picture frame, representing the inevitable coming of death. Breaking away from traditional equestrian portraits of rulers and generals, the horse and rider are not a unified partnership. Instead, their struggle is portrayed … Read more

Jacques Callot (1592-1635)

by

View of the Louvre, Paris Paris, about 1629 Etching 170 x 345 mm Callot executed a pair of etching entitled The Grand Views of Paris, during his trip to the city in 1629. This series consists of the print displayed here, which shows a view of the Louvre Palace, and View of the Pont-Neuf. In … Read more

Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685)

by

The child and the doll 1679 Etching 104 x 93 mm A child sits on its mother’s lap and reaches for a doll while the parents fondly observe. Dolls were particularly associated with girls as they were thought to gravitate naturally towards their calling as mother and housewife even in early play. This simple family … Read more

John Raphael Smith (1752-1812)

by

Dr Richard Robinson, D. D. 1775 Mezzotint 510 x 357 mm This print was made after the painting by Reynolds, which is also in the Barber’s collection. The Englishman Richard Robinson (1709-1794) was made Archbishop of Armagh in 1765, so when this portrait was painted he was Primate of Ireland. He is dressed in the … Read more

John Leech (1817-1864)

by

Mr Briggs contemplates a day’s fishing Coloured etching 240 x 299 mm Fishing was seen as a means of escaping urban congestion, offering the working man relaxation. Mr Briggs’s front-room construction of this contemplative sport is rather more frenetic, as his line knocks candlesticks, picture frames and vases from the mantel piece. Briggs’s shocked wife … Read more

John Leech (1817-1864)

by

Mr Briggs Contemplates a Day’s Fishing 1850s Pen, ink and watercolour over pencil on paper mounted on card 240.5 x 299 mm Mr Briggs stands on a table in a disordered room; his fishing line knocks objects from the mantel-piece. Mrs Briggs and their two children survey the disarray with varied expressions. A slightly different … Read more

Alfred George Stevens (1817-1875)

by

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

Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669), perhaps Willem Drost (1633-1659)

by

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