A Watercolour Painting Depicting a Sledging Scene [used in the second volume of Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853,'54,'55 by Elisha Kent Kane]

Hamilton, James

Verlag: [1853-55], 1853

Beschreibung

An original watercolour painting, measuring 270mm x210mm, done by James Hamilton in preparation for an engraving that was used as an illustration in the second volume of Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853,'54,'55 by Elisha Kent Kane, with this particular illustration found on p. 246 of the first edition, with the quote "another mode of carrying the sick" beneath the image. This painting depicts a sledging scene wherein a sick man is being carried by seven men clad in thick fur coats; the background landscape shows a sun either just rising or setting, casting an orange-yellow glow across the sky, and mountains and cliffs in the distance. The colours that Hamilton has used are mostly quite cold, with shades of blue, white and grey, which contrasts greatly with the warm glow the sun exudes. There are faint pencil markings indicating where the border of the painting should be, as well as around some of the men and the lines of the sledge. It does appear that this painting was framed at one point in time, as there is a very faint line near the edges of the painting where some sun fading is visible and the outer edges of the painting were protected by either a matte or frame. The painting is currently loosely attached at the top to a matte that measures 480mm x 360mm. Overall, this piece is in very good to near fine condition, especially considering its age and original purpose. James Hamilton (1819-1878) originally worked as a businessman before deciding to pursue a career in art. He eventually switched over to working as a drawing teacher in Philadelphia, then traveled to England in 1854 to study the works of Turner and other great landscape painters. After a year abroad, Hamilton returned to Philadelphia, where he established himself as an illustrator, collaborating on such volumes as Arctic Explorations, the memoirs of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, who had made two expeditions to Arctic waters. In 1875, Hamilton placed all of his artworks for sale in Philadelphia as he prepared for a journey around the world; unfortunately, he got only as far as San Francisco, where he died in 1878. The watercolours Hamilton produced for Kane were based off of Kane's own on-the-spot sketches he did while in the arctic, though Kane's artistic style was much more precise and realistic when compared to Hamilton's more romantic pictorial style. Hamilton ended up moving in Kane's house for a month in order for "night and day might be given to their execution" (Elder, 219). Hamilton produced many watercolours, some of which were not used as illustrations in Kane's books; we will have more of these original pieces of artwork available in a later catalogue. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 142235

Bibliografische Details

Titel: A Watercolour Painting Depicting a Sledging ...

Verlag: [1853-55]

Erscheinungsdatum: 1853

Auflage: 1. Auflage