A Graduate of Pomona
William Henry Hunt, A Seated Boy, dated 1836
A Seated Boy
Private collectn
Watercolor, bodycolor, and gum arabic, with scratching out
8.05 X 10 in., 20.5 X 25.5 cm.
Signed and dated, l.r., W. Hunt 1836
Provenance:
(S) Lawrnces Auctioneers, Crewkerne, Englund, 13 April 2018, Lot 1257 (P) £3,600* $5,134*
This watercolor is the third watercolor by William Henry Hunt dated 1836 which depicts the same boy, dressed in the same clothing, and which was painted against a beach, almost certainly Hastings Beach -- the other two are Boy with Shrimp Basket and A Sleeping Boy. The model is not John Swain or his brother Bill, but could be the artist's nephew, also named William Henry Hunt. Another picture of a boy with a shrimp net, also at Hastings, is now at th Whitworth Institute of the University of Manchester [England]. It appears to depict the same boy at a slightly younger age. Since it is dated 1835 and was exhibited in that year at the Society of Paiters in Water-colours, it was likely the artist's first attempt at this basic subject matter. This group of watercolors, along with another fine but undated example in the Bath art gallery, follows the pattern establish by Hunt with another group of pictures of Hasting's fisherboys in related settings and poses [sitting on and/or standing next to groups of large rocks on Hastings Beach], four of which which were all exhibited by the artist at the 1830 SPWC Spring Exhibition. By showing a handful of related watercolors of various sizes and prices in the same exhibitions, the artist minimized the chance that interested viewers/potential customers would be disappointed by the prior sale of a single subject of a type which appealed to them. Hunt continued this practice of exhibiting groups of related watercolors throughout the rest of his career, resulting in his becoming very famous, very popular, and very rich [for a nineteenth century watercolor artist].
William Henry Hunt, A Seated Boy, dated 1836
A Seated Boy
Private collectn
Watercolor, bodycolor, and gum arabic, with scratching out
8.05 X 10 in., 20.5 X 25.5 cm.
Signed and dated, l.r., W. Hunt 1836
Provenance:
(S) Lawrnces Auctioneers, Crewkerne, Englund, 13 April 2018, Lot 1257 (P) £3,600* $5,134*
This watercolor is the third watercolor by William Henry Hunt dated 1836 which depicts the same boy, dressed in the same clothing, and which was painted against a beach, almost certainly Hastings Beach -- the other two are Boy with Shrimp Basket and A Sleeping Boy. The model is not John Swain or his brother Bill, but could be the artist's nephew, also named William Henry Hunt. Another picture of a boy with a shrimp net, also at Hastings, is now at th Whitworth Institute of the University of Manchester [England]. It appears to depict the same boy at a slightly younger age. Since it is dated 1835 and was exhibited in that year at the Society of Paiters in Water-colours, it was likely the artist's first attempt at this basic subject matter. This group of watercolors, along with another fine but undated example in the Bath art gallery, follows the pattern establish by Hunt with another group of pictures of Hasting's fisherboys in related settings and poses [sitting on and/or standing next to groups of large rocks on Hastings Beach], four of which which were all exhibited by the artist at the 1830 SPWC Spring Exhibition. By showing a handful of related watercolors of various sizes and prices in the same exhibitions, the artist minimized the chance that interested viewers/potential customers would be disappointed by the prior sale of a single subject of a type which appealed to them. Hunt continued this practice of exhibiting groups of related watercolors throughout the rest of his career, resulting in his becoming very famous, very popular, and very rich [for a nineteenth century watercolor artist].