Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A. (1802 – 1873): a group of drawings

formerly in the collection of the artist, Frederick Richard Lee,

R.A. and a self portrait of the artist.

The group of previously unrecorded drawings and a letter were all, apart from the self-

portrait, once in the collection of the artist, Frederick Richard Lee, R.A. (1798-1879). The

self-portrait executed in 1829, when the artist was aged just 27, is being offered to the market

for the first time in nearly fifty years.

Landseer and Lee were friends and occasional collaborators for much of their adult life,

sharing the same interests, friends, and patrons. The two men worked together on at least half

a dozen collaborative works, with Lee producing the landscapes and Landseer the animals

and figures; two of these, The Cover and Bringing in a Stag, are in the Tate Gallery, London.

Both artists were keen sportsmen, particularly fishing and shooting and as a result were often

at the same country houses at the same time. They had several patrons in common, in

particular, William Wells and the Duke of Bedford, amongst others.

Lee was highly regarded in his lifetime, establishing a hugely successful career as a

landscape painter. He enrolled as a student at the Royal Academy schools in 1818, was

elected A.R.A. in 1834 and R.A. four years later. He exhibited regularly at the Royal

Academy and the British Institution, until he retired from the Royal Academy in 1871,

preferring to spend his last few years indulging his great passion, sailing. His success as an

artist, enabled him to buy a yacht, which he sailed as far as the West Indies, South Africa, and

Mauritius and even to Australia and Tasmania at the age of 74.

The peak of Lee’s career lasted from the early 1830s to the end of the 1850s and his

landscapes found favour with both wealthy industrialists and the aristocracy. Such was his

popularity that Constable, with whom he was frequently compared, was widely reported as

being jealous of the younger man’s abilities. William Wells (1768–1847), shipbuilder, art

collector, patron, trustee of the National Gallery, director of the British Institution and friend

to Landseer and Lee, apparently remarked once, when Constable showed him some his

sketches, that they ‘might be of service to Lee’ (Campbell Lennie, Landseer, The Victorian

Paragon, 1976, p. 78).

Landseer wasn’t the only artist to benefit from Lee’s ability, Thomas Sidney Cooper (1803–

1902) also collaborated with him, also producing the animals, whilst Lee undertook the

landscapes. So well-known were these collaborations, that on Lee’s death, his obituary in The

Athenaeum, discussed his working with Cooper and Landseer.

Campbell Lennie notes that the two artists eventually fell out, apparently over ‘accusations of

cheating at a game of billiards; the two men never spoke to each other again’ (Campbell

Lennie, ibid, p. 201). Whose fault the argument was is unclear, but Landseer, especially later

in life, was highly sensitive, imagining slights and picking arguments.

We are grateful to Richard Ormond for his help in cataloguing the present collection.

Landseer the draughtsman

As was remarked shortly after the artist’s death,

‘the masterliness of Landseer’s touch can be

seen in his earliest drawings; and in none of his

works is it more keenly discernible than in his

pen and ink sketches. As we look at some of

these, we are tempted to believe that, of all the

instruments that can be used by the artist, there

is none so wonderful as the pen. In his most

mature time, with all the appliances of colour,

Landseer never set before us deer and dogs

more living that those which, with a few

touches of the pen upon white paper, he shows

us in these sketches’. (British Quarterly Review,

‘Landseer – Works of the late Sir Edwin

Landseer, R.A.’ October 1874, pp. 514-535.

Article VIII)

Landseer found artistic and social success early in his career. His easy manner, good looks

and enjoyment of dancing, music and country sports enabled him to move in the highest

social circles. The Dukes of Northumberland, Bedford, Gordon, Atholl and Beaufort,

amongst others, all numbered amongst his friends and patrons. In 1836, Landseer was

commissioned to paint, Dash, Princess Victoria’s favourite dog, as a birthday present for the

future queen. This was the beginning of a close relationship between the artist and the Royal

Family. He taught Queen Victoria to sketch and his opinion was regularly sought on artistic

matters, such as the proposed museums at South Kensington. His closeness to the Royal

Family led to him depicting the family, not in the more usual grand, formal manner, but in

more relaxed, intimate settings. Furthermore, it was partly due to Landseer, that the Royal

Family began to spend time in Scotland and his paintings of them in Highland settings,

helped to visually represent the abiding love the Queen and Prince Albert developed for

Scotland.

Apart from the more established artistic training, initially in the studio of Benjamin Robert

Haydon and then at the Royal Academy Schools, Landseer also spent time at Sir Charles

Bell’s celebrated anatomy classes and recording the wild and exotic animals in London’s

menageries; the Exeter Exchange and the Tower of London. He was inspired by the work of

George Stubbs (purchasing Stubbs’s series of anatomical drawings of horses in about 1817)

and like him, spent time studying animal anatomy, where possible even dissecting and

examining their skeletons. Indeed, his interest was so well known that when one of the lions

at the Exeter Exchange died, the owner, Mr Cross sent it to Landseer, who dissected the

animal, had the skin stuffed and the skeleton articulated. This careful and detailed study

helped Landseer to establish himself as one of the leading animal painters of the period and to

influence numerous other artists both in Britain and further afield, including French artists,

Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) and Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899).

Landseer sketched constantly, throughout his career, in order to explore compositions, deepen

his understanding of a subject or produce an aide memoire, as well as a form of relaxation or

entertainment. The spontaneity and emotional response so evident in his drawings has helped

cement Landseer’s reputation as one of the most skilled

draughtsmen of the 19th

Century. His ability to work

rapidly and incisively was widely admired and his

drawings were eagerly sought by his contemporaries.

Such was his ability that he could apparently draw as well

with either hand, or, as he entertained his fellow house

guests, with both hands at the same time. Landseer’s

breadth of style and his ability to capture with just a ‘few

lines, dots, jags and scratches’ (British Quarterly Review,

op.cit, p. 516) is clearly reflected in the current group of

drawings.

Landseer’s figure drawings were often gently humorous.

They were, by and large, of his friends and acquaintances,

people he knew and respected, and his intention was to

capture the essence of their character, rather than merely

record a visual likeness. There were usually intended to

light-heartedly illustrate their quirks or weaknesses and

encourage amusement, to be laughed with, not at. They

were never in the spirit of the more direct works of the

satirical artists like George Cruikshank (1792–1878) and James Gilray (1756–1815), or the

cartoonists of the journals that spring up during the 19th

Century. Landseer’s lively and

spontaneous sketches and studies belie the difficulty that the artist would sometimes find with

his portraits in oil. As Richard Ormond points out, ‘his career is littered with uncompleted

portraits and disgruntled patrons, as he struggled to achieve convincing likenesses’. (Richard

Ormond, Edwin Landseer, the Private Drawings, 2009, p. 180). It seems that the medium of

pen and ink, gave Landseer the freedom to draw quickly and by distilling his style and paring

it back to the essentials, he did not have to think too hard about his pen portraits.

Landseer applied an equally dynamic

style of penmanship to his animal

studies. His deep understanding of the

mechanics of animal and bird forms,

combined with his rapid, method of

working gave a liveliness and sense of

realism and individuality that rivalled

his portraits of people.

The decade from which this group of

drawings dates, is widely regarded as

the artist’s golden period. As Richard

Ormond stated, Landseer’s ‘reputation as the foremost animal painter of the day…was

matched by social celebrity and financial success’. (Richard Ormond, Edwin Landseer, The

Private Drawings, 2009, p. 12). Landseer, despite his success, struggled with depression

throughout much of his life, and ultimately in his final year, was declared insane. Alcohol

and drug abuse compounded the problem. He was hypersensitive to criticism, quick to

imagine slights and picked fights with old friends. His first breakdown was in 1840, possibly

brought on by the death of his mother, as well as the Duchess of Bedford’s refusal to marry

him and the murder of his friend Lord William Russell. Luckily many of his friends remained

loyal, helping him through his bouts of depression and he was also able to continue to excel

as an artist throughout his life.

Cat no 1.

Stags by a Fallen Tree

With inscription lower centre in the hand of F. R. Lee: Sir E Landseer RA

Pen and brown ink on wove Whatman paper dated 1835

11.3 by 18.1 cm., 4 ¼ by 7 in.

Although a keen sportsman, Landseer would apparently spend as much time sketching

wildlife, especially deer and birds. As a result of his careful study, Landseer developed a

lasting respect for the stag which evolved in his art into depicting him as a heroic figure,

emblematic of the powerful, yet often tragic forces of nature. Increasingly, they became a

reflection, not only of the state of the artist’s mind, but also the philosophical and even

political concerns of the period. Consequently, his work became increasingly monumental,

with the animals forming the key focus, culminating in his Monarch of the Glen (National

Galleries of Scotland) originally conceived for the refreshment room of the Houses of

Parliament.

The present lively, rapidly executed sketch is characteristic of his most sophisticated and

accomplished drawings. It is typical of his deer studies of the 1830s, which are largely gentle,

pastoral depictions. However, he is also intent on reflecting the nobility of the stags, their

proud stance and grace, whilst the twisting shapes of the branches of the fallen tree, make an

interesting interplay of line, contrasting with the antlers of the stags and must have appealed

to the artist.

Cat no 2.

Study of hounds, coupled together

Signed lower centre: EL/1837. and with inscription verso in the hand of F. R. Lee: drawn by

Sir E. Landseer/RA

Pen and brown ink on blueish laid paper with watermark J Green & Son

17.5 by 22.3 cm., 6 ¾ by 8 ¾ in.

In the present sheet Landseer has, with great delicacy of line and carefully rendered shading

and shadow, captured the individual character and likeness of the pair of hounds, whilst at the

same time, reflecting the bonding nature of pack animals.

Cat no 3.

A Dog carrying a Rabbit

Pen and brown ink on sheet of writing paper, with watermark

11.8 by 18.2 cm., 4 ½ by 7 in.

During the 1830s Landseer’s paintings of dogs formed a coherent group of works, of which

about half were commissions and half were independent subject pictures, which found a

ready market with his patrons.

Landseer was always fascinated by dogs and kept a number as pets throughout his life. He

was a highly gifted animal painter, but his drawings and paintings of dogs were particularly

adept. His ability to capture, with extraordinary vivacity, their movements, behaviour and

individuality, proved hugely popular with Landseer’s clients. Whilst staying with Sir Walter

Scott in 1824, for example, he entertained the writer and his wife, with his numerous rapidly

executed and keenly observed sketches of their beloved dogs.

In the present sheet the artist has, with a few rapid strokes, captured the lively personality of

the gundog, the softness of his long coat and even the gentleness with which the dog is

carrying his prey, as well as hinting at the hilly landscape of the animal’s surroundings. The

artist has let the sepia ink run slightly to soften the drawing and add to the atmospheric effect.

The sheet is folded as if a letter, which suggests that it may have been sent to Lee as part of

correspondence between the two artists.

Cat no 4.

A dog carrying a Heron

With inscription lower left in the hand of F. R. Lee: by E. Landseer R.A./1835

Pen and brown ink on laid paper watermarked with a fleur de lys

15.7 by 18.3 cm., 6 by 7 in.

The dog in the present drawing appears to be the same dog as depicted in the drawing of A

dog carrying a rabbit (no.3).

Herons in the 19th

century were still regarded as game birds. However, they had a long

association with falconry and thus with the age of medieval chivalry, which would have

appealed to Landseer’s romantic nature. In 1830, Landseer produced a self portrait as a

falconer, with a bird of prey on his gloved left hand and a heron at his feet.

Cat no 5.

A Heron in flight

With inscription in the hand of F. R. Lee, lower right: by E Landseer R.A.

Pencil on paper watermarked with crown

Sheet 23.3 by 18.7 cm., 9 by 7 ¼ in.

Cat no 6.

A Ferret with a Rat

With inscription in the hand of F. R. Lee, lower right: by E Landseer R.A.

Pen and brown ink

18.6 by 22.5 cm., 7 ¼ by 8 ¾ in.

The present study of a ferret holding down a rat, is masterly display of the artist’s ability to

distil and abstract form, without losing any of the essence of the subject.

Cat no 7.

Study of three Doves

With inscription lower right in the hand of F. R. Lee: by E. Landseer R.A./1835

Pen and brown ink on laid paper watermarked with part of a crown

11.7 by 18.2 cm., 4 ½ by 7 in.

Cat no 8.

Studies of an Eagle, crouched over its Prey

With inscription in the hand of F. R. Lee, in pencil lower right: by E Landseer RA

Pen and brown ink on the reverse of a letter, with fragmentary watermark

18.5 by 23.8 cm., 7 ¼ by 9 ¼ in.

In 1834, Landseer exhibited a small oil The Eagle’s Nest (now in the Victoria and Albert

Museum, London) at the British Institution. The work depicted an eagle resting on a rocky

outcrop near its nest, while its partner soars above the dramatic landscape of the Cairngorms.

The realism inherent in such paintings was only possible due to the numerous studies from

life that Landseer produced, in order to fully understand the forms and behaviour of his

subjects.

Sea eagles became extinct in Scotland towards the end of the 19th

century and golden eagles

were widely hunted, becoming extinct in England and Wales by 1850 and with only small

numbers in Scotland. Given the artists deep interest in wildlife, Landseer must have been

fascinated by these rare birds.

Cat no 9.

Studies of an Eagle

Signed and inscribed lower centre: I hope this slight sketch will answer your purpose -/to the

best of my recollection, it is about the right size/for your Picture. – with sincere wishes for

the re-establishment/of your health and strength. Yrs Sc/EL and further inscribed with colour

notes. Inscribed verso with address: F. R Lee Esq/ 16… With further inscription in the hand

of F R Lee, in pencil: E Landseer RA

Pen and brown ink and pencil on laid paper with fragmentary watermark fleur de lys

18.5 by 22.5 cm., 7 ¼ by 8 ¾ in.

As with the study of A Dog carrying a Rabbit (cat. 3) and Studies of an Eagle crouched over

its prey (no.. 8), the present sheet is part of a letter to Lee. It clearly demonstrates the

collaborative nature of Lee and Landseer’s relationship during the 1830s. Both artists would

have seen eagles during their various trips to Scotland and their interest in these birds of prey

continued throughout their career, A much later painting from the early 1860s, by Lee, shows

an Eagle soaring above a river, entitled An Eagle in a Highland landscape by Lee was sold at

Christie’s in July 2005.

The slight sketch of the eagle in flight at the top left of the sheet, was a popular motif for the

artist and appears in a number of Landseer’s work, including Dead Deer and Deerhound,

painted in 1825; Morning painted several years later in 1855, as well as, An Event in the

Forest, painted about thirty years after these sketches, in 1865 and widely disseminated

through an engraving by his brother Thomas.

Cat no 10.

A Ghillie looking at a River

With inscription, lower right in the hand of F.R. Lee: by E. Landseer R.A./1835

Pen and brown ink on laid paper watermarked with a crown

18.4 by 11.6 cm., 7 ¼ by 4 ½ in.

The present drawing probably depicts one of the Scottish ghillies or gamekeepers that

Landseer would have known and for whom the artist had enormous respect. He admired their

deep knowledge and understanding of the landscape in which they lived and the animals

which inhabited it and they often formed the subject of his paintings and drawings. He

painted the 4th

Duke of Atholl’s gamekeeper, John Crerar, on several occasions, including a

portrait of him with his pony, (now in the Perth Museum and Art Gallery) and variously with

the Duke of Atholl.

Landseer’s ability to capture the character, as well as the appearance of the sitter, with a few

deft strokes of the pen is amply illustrated in the present drawing.

Cat no 11.

Study of a Fisherman and Dog, with a Horse and Foal

With inscription lower right, in the hand of F. R. Lee: Sir E. Landseer/R.A.

Pencil

8.8 by 16.3 cm., 3 ½ by 6 ¼ in.

Landseer endlessly sketched sporting activities and wildlife, as well as the people who lived

and work in the Highlands. These formed the basis for the lively paintings of Scottish

subjects which found a ready market with his patrons, including the Dukes of

Northumberland, Bedford, Atholl, Gordon, Wellington, all of whom commissioned Scottish

subjects from the artist in the 1820s and 30s.

The present study depicts figures ready to take home the results of a day’s fishing; one figure

holding a net and the other riding a pack pony with panniers to hold the catch.

Cat no 12.

A Study of a Stag

With inscription lower right, in the hand of F. R. Lee: by E Landseer/RA

Black chalk on laid paper with fragmentary watermark

11.3 by 17.1 cm., 4 ¼ by 6 ¾ in.

During the 1830s, Landseer did not produce many finished paintings of deer and the few that

existed, tended to depict deer in tranquil landscape settings, such as, Deer in Coldbath Fields,

Woburn Abbey, painted circa 1835 and commissioned by the Duke of Bedford. Despite the

relative paucity of paintings of deer during this period, Landseer, continued however, to

extensively sketch and study deer, producing simple studies like the present work and the pen

and ink drawing of Stags by a fallen tree (no. 1).

The artist had his own menagerie, at his home in St John’s Wood which included various

deer.

Cat no 13.

Letter

W.A. Sunday Night

My dear Sir

My occupation here, as a/ Sculptor, has lasted/much longer than I expected/but being so far

advanced/for a day or 2./I don’t like to give it up./The professors of that/art who have seen/it,

say it is `Wonderful’/Considering the time I have/been employed, (8 days)/and its being my

first/effort, I say nothing,/they tell me it takes Chantry a month to/model a Bust./If you see Mr

Wells/tell him I have a picture/ready for the B.I. that requires only one/days work, if

they/will grant me a little/indulgence as to time./(do what you can for me./I hope you are all

well -/I have shot once and killed/3 Woodcocks!!!/Yrs m…/ELandseer

Addressed to:

F.R. Lee Esq R.A./16 Norton Street/Portland Road

Landseer was a prolific correspondent and his letters paint a valuable picture, not only of the

artist’s working practice and his life in general, but also of the wider Victorian period. The

present letter is one of the few that is known of between Lee and Landseer, although their

friendship and collaboration, must have occasioned a great deal of correspondence. Campbell

Lennie notes that William Wells wrote to Landseer, citing correspondence between the two

artists, ‘In one of your letters to him [Lee] you confess that you had not done much

more…than amuse yourself therefore turn to and work hard, and to do that you must rise

early’ (Lennie, Landseer, The Victorian Paragon, p. 96).

The tone of the present letter, as well as that recorded in Lennie, demonstrates the easy

intimacy that existed between the artists, as well as their closeness to their patron, William

Wells, who is the Mr Wells mentioned in the present letter.

William Wells made his fortune in shipbuilding. He was a passionate art collector and his

Surrey home, was a regular haunt for the artists of the day including, Goodall, Cooke, Grant

and Frith, as well as Landseer and Lee. Landseer began visiting his house Redleaf from the

early 1830s and over the ensuing years, it became the artist’s second home. He would spend

long periods, sometimes several months at a time there, such as in 1844 when Landseer’s

house was being rebuilt. At least a quarter of his early surviving correspondence was written

from there. As Richard Ormond notes, ‘from the accounts of many artists that stayed at

Redleaf it was clear that Landseer, who was represented in the (Wells) collection by more

than twenty works, was its presiding genius. (Richard Ormond, Sir Edwin Landseer, 1982, p.

9).

The renowned sculptor, Sir Francis Chantrey (1781–1841) and Landseer were friends, the

two were both keen sportsmen and shared some of the same friends and patrons, including Sir

Walter Scott. In April 1835, Chantrey commissioned Landseer to paint Pen, Brush and

Chisel: The Studio of Sir Francis Chantrey (Royal Collection).

The initials W.A. at the top of the sheet, suggest that this letter was written from Woburn

Abbey. Landseer’s first recorded visit to the home of the Dukes of Bedford was in 1823 and

he became a regular visitor there, as well as to their London and Scottish residences. The

Duke of Bedford was one of Landseer’s earliest and most important patrons, commissioning

Landseer’s first historical painting, the Hunting of Chevy Chase (Birmingham Museums and

Art Gallery) in 1826. The surviving correspondence between the two men, show their mutual

interests in sport and art as well as their easy relationship. Landseer also formed an intimate

friendship with the Duke’s second wife, Georgiana, which lasted until the Duchess’ death in

1853. This, despite the gap in their social position and in their ages; the Duchess was 40

when she met the 21-year-old artist. It has been suggested that the two were lovers and

although it is uncertain how physically intimate they were, they were certainly emotionally

close, and it is widely thought that part of the reason for Landseer’s breakdown in 1840, was

supposedly the widowed Duchess’ refusal to marry him.

In the mid 1830s, Landseer designed a high relief, silver dish for the 6th

Duke of Bedford

(1766–1839), now called the Landseer dish. Apart from the monumental sculptural

commission to create the lions around the base of Nelson’s column, between 1858 and 1866,

this is the only other known sculpture by the artist. However, the dish is hallmarked 1837, so

it is unlikely that this letter refers to this project, so it appears to suggest that Landseer was

engaged on another, as yet, unidentified sculptural commission.

The Duke and Landseer were frequent correspondents and the former’s letters, are full of

discussions of natural history, country sports and art. The easy tone indicates a warmth and

friendship that went beyond painter and patron.

Cat no 14.

Self-Portrait aged Twenty-seven

Inscribed lower left: Edwin Landseer sketched by himself in 1829.

Pen and brown ink on laid paper

22 by 17.6 cm., 8 ½ by 6 ¾ in.

Provenance:

Private collection, UK since c. 1970;

Thence by descent

Landseer found early success both socially and artistically and the present self-portrait

illustrates the artist’s self-confidence and good looks. Landseer was clever, amusing, an

accomplished raconteur and enormously sociable. All of these traits, coupled with his love of

sports, particularly hunting, shooting and fishing, as well as dancing, made him a popular

figure, able to move in the highest of social circles. He became Queen Victoria’s favourite

artist and was knighted in 1850.

The present drawing shows the artist in Highland dress, his bonnet resting on a rock next to

him. The dress and pose are highly romantic and demonstrate the influence of Sir Walter

Scott on the young artist. Landseer met Scott in London at the age of 22 and was invited to

stay with the writer at his baronial home, Abbotsford in the Scottish Borders. Landseer spent

about ten days there in early October 1824, and this visit proved of lasting influence, not only

on the subject matter and emotional content of his work, but also introducing Landseer to the

landscape of Scotland. For the rest of his life, Scotland proved a source of inspiration, retreat,

relaxation and restoration to the artist. Much of Landseer’s work from 1824 onwards,

articulated his deep emotional response to Scotland, through the animals, people and

landscapes that he depicted.

Scott’s works like the Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1817) had a

seminal impact on the creation of Scotland's national identity, along with the work of poets,

including Wordsworth, Byron and James Macpherson. Landseer played an equally important

role, as one of the first artists to give a visual expression to the romantic notions of the

Highlands.

During the 1820s it was just beginning to be fashionable for the aristocracy to take hunting

lodges for the autumn months and Landseer became a regular visitor to Blair Atholl and to

the Bedford’s lodge, The Doune, near Aviemore, as well as to Glenfeshie, the rustic retreat

built by the Duchess of Bedford. The Royal Family also became enamoured by Scotland and

Landseer’s images of them in Highland settings were amongst the most important visual

images of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.