Richard Ansdell (1815-85) (artist)
Charles George Lewis (1808-80) (engraver)
Picking Out the Lambs
Sheep Washing
Moore McQueen & Co. and L. Brall & Sons, London: c. 1864
Hand-colored engravings
21 x 32.5 inches each, average approximate, overall
17.75 x 31.5 inches each, average approximate, platemark
15.5 x 27.75 inches each, average approximate, image
$3,200, the pair
Pair of Sheep Herding Scenes
Engravings After Richard Ansdell, London: c. 1864
Engravings After Richard Ansdell, London: c. 1864
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Pair of engravings of Scottish shepherds and their flocks in highland landscapes. In Sheep Washing, a shepherd dressed in a kilt in the foreground is grooming a ram as a sheepherding collie looks on. In the background, another shepherd is taking two sheep into a cove to bathe, leading one by its horn. On the opposite bank the herd is moving into the distance past a cottage, presumably for shearing. In Picking out the Lambs, a shepherd and dog cautiously approach two sheep and several lambs, as one of the sheep bleats protectively.
Richard Ansdell was a British painter and engraver of animals, sporting and pastoral scenes. He began his education at a school for poor and orphaned children in his native Liverpool, where he showed a talent for drawing and eventually was admitted to the art academy in Liverpool. He debuted at the Royal Academy in London in 1840 with a hunting scene, and soon established himself as a successful and popular painter, becoming widely known via prints after his work, such as these. He was admitted into the Royal Academy as an academician and eventually exhibited an impressive 149 canvases in their exhibitions over his long career.
Charles George Lewis was a British aquatint engraver and etcher from a family of artists, including his father, Frederick Christian Lewis I. He was an accomplished engraver of prints after major animal painters of his era, especially Landseer, and also including Rosa Bonheur.
Full publication information (Picking Out the Lambs): “Picking Out the Lambs. From the original Picture in the possession of the Publishers. London: Published Sept’r 2nd 1864: By Moore McQueen & Co. 25 Berners. L. Brall & Sons Publishers, 6, Gt. Prescott St. E.”
Full publication information (Sheep Washing): “Sheep Washing. From the original Picture in the possession of the Publishers. London: Published Sept’r 2nd 1864: By Moore McQueen & Co. 25 Berners Street, Oxford Street. Paris, Chez François Delarue, Editeur, 18, rue J.J. Rousseau. L. Brall & Sons, Publishers, 6, Gt. Prescott St. E.”
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall light toning and wear. Few short tears professionally restored.
References:
Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs. France: Librairie Gründ, 1966. Vol. 1, pp. 190-191; Vol. 5, p.558 (Lewis).