The Lonely Tower
Print
1879 (etched)
1879 (etched)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
An etching is made by using a needle to draw into an acid-resistant coating that has been laid over a metal printing plate. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites the lines into the metal itself. The soft look that etched lines have, which is used to atmospheric effect here, is caused by the uneven action of the acid on the metal. Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) was a key figure of English Romantic painting and printmaking. He belonged to a group of artists who called themselves the 'Ancients', and who held 'poetry and sentiment' to be their watchwords.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Lonely Tower (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Etching print on paper |
| Brief description | 'The Lonely Tower'. Two shepherds guarding sheep gaze at a tower standing high on a distant hill. Etching by Samuel Palmer, England, 1879. |
| Physical description | Etching of a night scene: two shepherds guarding sheep gaze at a tower standing high on a distant hill, which has a solitary lit window. Starlight and radiance from a crescent moon low on the horizon illuminate the landscape and its human and animal occupants. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs J. Merrick Head |
| Object history | From 'Il Penseroso' by John Milton. This etching was formerly in the collection of Sir Frank Short, R. A., P.R.E., R.I. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | An etching is made by using a needle to draw into an acid-resistant coating that has been laid over a metal printing plate. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites the lines into the metal itself. The soft look that etched lines have, which is used to atmospheric effect here, is caused by the uneven action of the acid on the metal. Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) was a key figure of English Romantic painting and printmaking. He belonged to a group of artists who called themselves the 'Ancients', and who held 'poetry and sentiment' to be their watchwords. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1895-1919 |
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| Record created | December 17, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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