The Gamekeeper
The Gamekeeper
The GamekeeperSigned lower right, W.HUNTPen and brown ink and watercolour over pencil heightened with gum arabic34.9 by 23.6 cm., 13 ¾ by 9 ¼ in.Provenance: Cyril Fry (1918-2010) Literature:Norwich, Castle Museum and London, J.S. Maas Gallery, William Henry Hunt 1790-1864, Water-colours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no 36;John Witt, William Henry Hunt, Life and Work, with a Catalogue, London 1982, p. 177, no. 377;Joanna Selborne and Christina Payne, William Henry Hunt, Country People, London, 2017, p.10 detail, cat no, 5, pp.30-1Exhibited:London, Old Watercolour Society, probably 1824, no. 62 or 1825, no. 133 or 341; London, The Fry Gallery, Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr and Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no. 2; Norwich, Castle Museum and London, J.S. Maas Gallery, William Henry Hunt 1790-1864, Water-colours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no 36;London, Courtauld Institute of Art, William Henry Hunt; Country People, 2017, no. 5 During the early 19th Century depictions of rural working people were popular in both art and literature. William Henry Pyne, Robert Hills, Joshua Cristall and Thomas Uwins, as well as William Henry Hunt, all exhibited watercolours of rural figures. It was a period of profound social and economic change, with radical developments in both industry and agriculture and the rapid growth of urban centres gathered pace during Hunt's lifetime. Economic depression at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 led to periods of unrest in both towns and the countryside, culminating in the Swing Riots of 1830 and anger at the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, making it compulsory for people to enter the poorhouse before they could obtain poor relief. Such subjects could be interpreted in two ways. They were either seen as symbolic of a lost, or vanishing way of life and a harking back to a more peaceful, simpler way of life, in contrast to the destitution, poverty and violence of life for the urban poor. Alternatively they were interpreted as symbolic of the tough existence of rural life. Hunt's figures were usually of skilled workers, head gardeners, gamekeepers etc. They were dignified individuals, secure in their social position and happy with their standing as important figures in the running of large estates. He avoided overt social comment and concentrated instead on an extreme realism and a sense of individuality. Hunt appears to have started painting these subjects when working for his two aristocratic patrons, the 5th Earl of Essex and 6th Duke of Devonshire during the 1820s. His first exhibited portrait of a Gamekeeper (1824) depicted the keeper in the service of the Earl of Essex. At Chatsworth the artist created a series of portraits of the butler, housekeeper, groom of the chamber and footman, all in the service of the Duke of Devonshire, and these are still in the family collection. Such works were commissioned to be hung in the servant's hall and reflected the often genuine affection and bond between the senior staff and their employers. Gamekeepers could be seen as somewhat contentious figures. They were unpopular with the rural poor, who often struggled to feed their families and were desperate to supplement their food. However, they were popular with Hunt's clients, who were reliant on them to protect their estates and were senior members of estate staff. Sir George Beaumont commissioned David Wilkie (1785-1841) to paint portrait of his head keeper in 1811 and Sir Walter Scott had his gamekeeper Tom Purdie pained by C. R. Leslie (1794-1859) in 1824. Hunt clearly saw a ready market for his portraits of such figures and exhibited five portraits of Gamekeepers at the Old Watercolour Society in the four years between 1824 and 1828. He also depicted head gardeners, poachers and rural labourers. Although Hunt often used family and friends as models in his work, many of these single figure portraits, including the present portrait were clearly of real figures in their natural environment. The portrait of the gamekeeper that he exhibited in 1826, was in the employ of Charles Dixon Esq. and the gamekeeper of his 1828 exhibit, was painted 'from Nature' according to the artist. Sadly we do not know the identity of the present sitter. Hunt's extraordinary sense of observation is evident in the heightened realism of this work, capturing the smallest detail, such as the stubble on the sitter's chin and in the texture and wrinkles of fabric of his clothing. The simple background against which the figure is placed, gives a gravitas and strength to the sitter as well as concentrating the viewer's attention on the subject; there is nothing extraneous to distract. To the contemporary mind the simplicity of the composition adds a sense of modernity. John Ruskin described them as: 'Drawings illustrative of rural life in its vivacity and purity, without the slightest endeavour and idealisation … All the drawings belonging to this class `are, virtually, faultless and most of them are very beautiful' (John Ruskin, Notes, p.85).The use of reed pen and brown ink was something that the artist took from his close study of the work of Canaletto, when he was studying at Dr Thomas Monro's informal academy. Monro encouraged Hunt to study and copy the Canaletto drawings that Monro had in his collection and the latter retained several of Hunt's copies.){kind=link}
William Henry Hunt, O.W.S. (1790-1864)
The Gamekeeper
Signed lower right, W.HUNT
Pen and brown ink and watercolour over pencil heightened with gum arabic
34.9 by 23.6 cm., 13 ¾ by 9 ¼ in.
Provenance:
Cyril Fry (1918-2010)
Literature:
Norwich, Castle Museum and London, J.S. Maas Gallery, William Henry Hunt 1790-1864, Water-colours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no 36;
John Witt, William Henry Hunt, Life and Work, with a Catalogue, London 1982, p. 177, no. 377;
Joanna Selborne and Christina Payne, William Henry Hunt, Country People, London, 2017, p.10 detail, cat no, 5, pp.30-1
Exhibited:
London, Old Watercolour Society, probably 1824, no. 62 or 1825, no. 133 or 341;
London, The Fry Gallery, Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr and Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no. 2;
Norwich, Castle Museum and London, J.S. Maas Gallery, William Henry Hunt 1790-1864, Water-colours and Drawings from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Cyril Fry, 1967, no 36;
London, Courtauld Institute of Art, William Henry Hunt; Country People, 2017, no. 5
During the early 19th Century depictions of rural working people were popular in both art and literature. William Henry Pyne, Robert Hills, Joshua Cristall and Thomas Uwins, as well as William Henry Hunt, all exhibited watercolours of rural figures. It was a period of profound social and economic change, with radical developments in both industry and agriculture and the rapid growth of urban centres gathered pace during Hunt's lifetime. Economic depression at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 led to periods of unrest in both towns and the countryside, culminating in the Swing Riots of 1830 and anger at the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, making it compulsory for people to enter the poorhouse before they could obtain poor relief.
Such subjects could be interpreted in two ways. They were either seen as symbolic of a lost, or vanishing way of life and a harking back to a more peaceful, simpler way of life, in contrast to the destitution, poverty and violence of life for the urban poor. Alternatively they were interpreted as symbolic of the tough existence of rural life. Hunt's figures were usually of skilled workers, head gardeners, gamekeepers etc. They were dignified individuals, secure in their social position and happy with their standing as important figures in the running of large estates. He avoided overt social comment and concentrated instead on an extreme realism and a sense of individuality.
Hunt appears to have started painting these subjects when working for his two aristocratic patrons, the 5th Earl of Essex and 6th Duke of Devonshire during the 1820s. His first exhibited portrait of a Gamekeeper (1824) depicted the keeper in the service of the Earl of Essex. At Chatsworth the artist created a series of portraits of the butler, housekeeper, groom of the chamber and footman, all in the service of the Duke of Devonshire, and these are still in the family collection. Such works were commissioned to be hung in the servant's hall and reflected the often genuine affection and bond between the senior staff and their employers.
Gamekeepers could be seen as somewhat contentious figures. They were unpopular with the rural poor, who often struggled to feed their families and were desperate to supplement their food. However, they were popular with Hunt's clients, who were reliant on them to protect their estates and were senior members of estate staff. Sir George Beaumont commissioned David Wilkie (1785-1841) to paint portrait of his head keeper in 1811 and Sir Walter Scott had his gamekeeper Tom Purdie pained by C. R. Leslie (1794-1859) in 1824. Hunt clearly saw a ready market for his portraits of such figures and exhibited five portraits of Gamekeepers at the Old Watercolour Society in the four years between 1824 and 1828. He also depicted head gardeners, poachers and rural labourers.
Although Hunt often used family and friends as models in his work, many of these single figure portraits, including the present portrait were clearly of real figures in their natural environment. The portrait of the gamekeeper that he exhibited in 1826, was in the employ of Charles Dixon Esq. and the gamekeeper of his 1828 exhibit, was painted 'from Nature' according to the artist. Sadly we do not know the identity of the present sitter.
Hunt's extraordinary sense of observation is evident in the heightened realism of this work, capturing the smallest detail, such as the stubble on the sitter's chin and in the texture and wrinkles of fabric of his clothing. The simple background against which the figure is placed, gives a gravitas and strength to the sitter as well as concentrating the viewer's attention on the subject; there is nothing extraneous to distract. To the contemporary mind the simplicity of the composition adds a sense of modernity. John Ruskin described them as: 'Drawings illustrative of rural life in its vivacity and purity, without the slightest endeavour and idealisation … All the drawings belonging to this class `are, virtually, faultless and most of them are very beautiful' (John Ruskin, Notes, p.85).
The use of reed pen and brown ink was something that the artist took from his close study of the work of Canaletto, when he was studying at Dr Thomas Monro's informal academy. Monro encouraged Hunt to study and copy the Canaletto drawings that Monro had in his collection and the latter retained several of Hunt's copies.