Abraham Hondius (after) (c. 1625-1691)

P. Leumos (engraver)

Sporting Dogs

Messrs. Schiavonetti, London : March 1st, 1800

Stipple engraving

17 x 20 inches, overall

16.5 x 19.5 inches, plate mark

Three sporting dogs rest together in the setting of a country landscape. After a work by the Dutch painter Abraham Hondius, this print captures his characteristic enlargement of the subject with respect to its surroundings in order to create an enriched point of focus.

Abraham Hondius was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. The son of the city stone mason of Rotterdam , he received his early training in painting there, and then came to England as a young man. Most of his paintings, etchings and drawings are of animals, especially dogs, at which he excelled. His favored subjects were hunting scenes, animals in motion and animal studies. He also produced landscapes, genre, religious and mythological pictures. His works are in major museum collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art; The Hermitage, St. Petersburg and the Uffizi, Florence.

Condition: Generally very good with the usual light overall toning. Some scattered edge wear including minor tears and small chips.

References:

"Abraham Hondius." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York : Macmillan. 2000. Artnet.com. (19 December 2003 ).

"Animals." DNH Design. http://www.dnhdesign.com/ELWESH/Pages/fhondius.html (19 December 2003).