Commonly referred to as the \u201cfirst zoo in London,\u201d the Royal Menagerie was founded by King John of England (1199-1216) as a permanent site for the monarchy\u2019s growing collection of exotic animals. Originating from a medieval tradition of exchanging rare and strange animals as courtly gifts, the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London lasted for over 600 years as a display of the power and worldly knowledge of the British monarchs. These animals were both curiosities for the court and special attractions for everyday Londoners, who could pay to catch a rare glimpse of animals such as lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants, zebras, and even polar bears. The lions were held in position of honor at the western entrance to the Tower, known as the Lion Tower, and would greet visitors as a formidable and majestic symbol of the British monarchy. The Royal Menagerie was eventually closed in response to concerns over animal welfare in 1835, with the remaining animals sold to zoos.<\/p>\n
John Graham (1754-1817) was an 18th century Scottish painter trained at the Royal Academy in London. After repeated failed attempts to obtain associate membership to the Royal Academy, Graham returned to Edinburgh, Scotland to work as a teacher of art while continuing to paint historical and biblical scenes, portraits, and landscapes.<\/p>\n
James Northcote, R.A. (1746-1831) was an English painter and writer. Arriving in London in 1771 a self-taught artist, he entered the Royal Academy Schools and joined the eminent painter Joshua Reynolds as a pupil and assistant. He remained with Reynolds until 1776, during which time he exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy. Reynolds remained a major stylistic influence on Northcote through much of his career. Northcote\u2019s later years focused on dramatized animal subjects in a natural survival setting, such as Leopards, Dogs and Heron and Lion, and Tiger and Crocodile. Northcote\u2019s historically valuable Memoirs of Sir Joshua Reynolds were published in 1813.<\/p>\n
George Dawe (1781-1829) was an English painter best known for his extensive portraits of Russian generals who fought against Napoleon\u2019s invasion of Russia. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts and recipient of the 1803 Royal Academy Schools Gold Medal, George Dawe was an associate member of the Royal Academy and a prolific scholar and collector, interested in old masters, linguistics, literature, and philosophy. After early work as a printmaker, Dawe was eager to finance his lifestyle through portrait commissions of European aristocrats. Upon arriving in St. Petersburg, he was commissioned by Russian Emperor Alexander I to paint over 300 commemorative for the military collection of the Winter Palace. Despite his British origins, Dawe\u2019s art legacy is now tied to Russia: Most of his paintings now belong to the Hermitage Museum and Dawe remains a well-studied, respected art historical figure in Russia.<\/p>\n
Samuel William Reynolds (1773-1835) was a mezzotint engraver and landscape painter popular in both Britain and France. He studied in the schools of the Royal Academy and trained under the famed mezzotint engravers Charles Howard Hodges and John Raphael Smith. Reynolds was a prolific engraver, known for his ability to combine techniques with ease, and commonly engraved Northcote\u2019s animal paintings as well as portraits by contemporaries such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Old Masters. Today, there are over 400 examples of his works in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.<\/p>\n
References:<\/p>\n
\u201cA Lioness that Whelp\u2019d in the Tower of London.\u201d The British Museum. https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org\/collection\/object\/P_1872-0713-2 (9 December 2024).
\n\u201cGeorge Dawe.\u201d The British Museum. https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org\/collection\/term\/BIOG24665 (9 December 2024).
\n\u201cJohn Graham.\u201d The British Museum. https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org\/collection\/term\/BIOG63468 (9 December 2024).
\n\u201cSamuel William Reynolds.\u201d Wikipedia.
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Samuel_William_Reynolds (9 December 2024).
\n\u201cThe Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London.\u201d Historic Royal Palaces. https:\/\/www.hrp.org.uk\/tower-of-london\/history-and-stories\/the-tower-of-london-menagerie\/#gs.ieu11j (5 December 2024).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John Graham (1754-1817) (after)
\nJames Northcote, R.A. (1746-1831) (after)
\nGeorge Dawe (1781-1829) (engraver)
\nS. W. Reynolds (1773-1835) (engraver)
\n“Lioness and Whelps” (1792)
\n\u201cLioness that Whelp’d in the Tower of London” (1801)
\nBritish: 1801 and 1792
\nMezzotint etching
\n13.25 x 15.25 inches
\n17 x 19 inches overall with the frame<\/p>\n
Live Lions in the Royal Menagerie in the Tower of London!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLioness and Whelps \/ London Published by I. R. Smith King Street Covent Garden \/ Painted by J. Northcote R.A. \/ Engraved by S.W. Reynolds.\u201d A pair of late 18th century mezzotint prints depicting a dramatized rendering of the Barbary lions held in captivity in the Town of London. The Tower of London Royal Menagerie, founded in the 1200s by King John, featured a collection of various exotic animals for aristocratic entertainment. A now extinct lion subspecies originating in North Africa, Barbary lions were a highlight of the collection, adding to the prestige of the Tower while symbolizing the British monarchy. The first print, \u201cLioness and Whelps\u201d depicts a charming, intimate nighttime encounter between a mother and her cubs in an enclosed wooded area. One cub lies on his back with four paws in the air while the other sniffs playfully at the mother\u2019s face. Behind them, the lioness leans forward to groom her cubs in a display of affection. The second print, \u201cLioness that Whelp\u2019d in the Tower of London,\u201d offers a more complex subject matter: a lioness reclines in apparent exhaustion as two newborn cubs feed at her teats. A lion slinks, perhaps unnoticed, in the dark background, with eyes focused on the distracted mother and oblivious young cubs. While the Tower of London enclosures were cramped, poorly maintained conditions, unlike the settings of both prints, the works nevertheless illustrate the fascination these creatures inspired in the public and the associated fictionalized narratives of exotic animals in the wild.<\/p>\n Product description continues below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41957,"template":"","meta":{"wds_primary_product_brand":0,"wds_primary_product_cat":0,"footnotes":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[6010,965,6794,952],"product_tag":[1512,1766,4021,4950,1342,459,2979,2050,4510,2163,1077,9847],"class_list":{"0":"post-41946","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-fine-art-prints","7":"product_cat-mammals","8":"product_cat-oddities-curiosities-interior-decor-gifts","9":"product_cat-old-masters","10":"product_tag-engraving","11":"product_tag-etching","12":"product_tag-graham","13":"product_tag-lioness","14":"product_tag-lions","15":"product_tag-london","16":"product_tag-mammals","17":"product_tag-mezzotint","18":"product_tag-northcote","19":"product_tag-play","20":"product_tag-royal","21":"product_tag-tower-of-london","22":"post","23":"post-with-thumbnail","24":"post-with-thumbnail-large","26":"first","27":"instock","28":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/41946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/41946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42086,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/41946\/revisions\/42086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=41946"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=41946"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=41946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cLioness that Whelp\u2019d in the Tower of London \/ London Pub. By Morgan. \/ Painted by J. Graham. \/ Engraved by G. Dawe.\u201d<\/p>\n