A Graduate of Pomona
4. Kitchen Interior with a Young Man Sitting by the Fire, c. 1832-1834
Interior with a Young Man Sitting by the Fire
Private collection
Watercolor and gum arabic heightened with white and with scratching out
7 2/3 X 10 3/4 in., 19.5 X 27.3 cm.
This watercolor is clearly very closely related to A Faggot Gatherer's Meal (fig 4a), which I dated to c. 1832-34 when consulted by Christie's in connection with its sale. The two watercolors show slightly different points of view and have different human figures, but it seems obvious that they were painted in close proximity to each other. Yet the Courtauld catalogue uses my date for fig. 4a while retaining John Witt's date in the entry for this work. Hunt was still using his pen and wash style in the first half of the 1820s and did not seem to adopt the use of stippling to define form until about 1825. See figures 4a and 4b for two rare watercolors dated 1825, which is approximately the first year in which the artist began to regular date most of his exhibited works. [He stopped dating after 1840 and did not again start to date a few exhibited watercolors until 1860].
Fig. 4c shows a third work by Hunt which depicts the same room -- it seems to be the entire interior of a humble dwelling rather than merely a kitchen. This third watercolor was probably painted a few years later than the other two, based on the signiicant changes that have been made to the far, fireside wall. The fact that Hunt had access to the same building over the course of time may indicate that he had some relationship to the owner, which would have been most likely if the watercolors were painted in Hastings, which Hunt frequented throughout much of his career.
4. Kitchen Interior with a Young Man Sitting by the Fire, c. 1832-1834
Interior with a Young Man Sitting by the Fire
Private collection
Watercolor and gum arabic heightened with white and with scratching out
7 2/3 X 10 3/4 in., 19.5 X 27.3 cm.
This watercolor is clearly very closely related to A Faggot Gatherer's Meal (fig 4a), which I dated to c. 1832-34 when consulted by Christie's in connection with its sale. The two watercolors show slightly different points of view and have different human figures, but it seems obvious that they were painted in close proximity to each other. Yet the Courtauld catalogue uses my date for fig. 4a while retaining John Witt's date in the entry for this work. Hunt was still using his pen and wash style in the first half of the 1820s and did not seem to adopt the use of stippling to define form until about 1825. See figures 4a and 4b for two rare watercolors dated 1825, which is approximately the first year in which the artist began to regular date most of his exhibited works. [He stopped dating after 1840 and did not again start to date a few exhibited watercolors until 1860].
Fig. 4c shows a third work by Hunt which depicts the same room -- it seems to be the entire interior of a humble dwelling rather than merely a kitchen. This third watercolor was probably painted a few years later than the other two, based on the signiicant changes that have been made to the far, fireside wall. The fact that Hunt had access to the same building over the course of time may indicate that he had some relationship to the owner, which would have been most likely if the watercolors were painted in Hastings, which Hunt frequented throughout much of his career.