Antique Etching ; 1864 Sea Serpent by Elihu Vedder , Sea Monster , Symbolist

Description: The Sea Serpent Elihu Vedder , Pinx. ( Pinx is an abbreviation of the Latin word pinxit, literally meaning "he painted it." It appears on 19th century and earlier prints )S. A. Schoff, Sc. ( sculptor / engraver ) " From the original in possession of T. G. Appleton, Esq., Boston " Signed and dated in the plate, " Elihu Vedder, 1864".Edition not stated, 19th century. Etching on cream laid paper.Clear platemark.Image size 8 11/16" x 4 7/8"Sheet size 9 3/16 x 12 3/16. Near fine, with small stain the lower page margin, a little wear at the outer edge. Carefully packed for shipment to the buyer. ------ Historical information : The engraver, Stephen Alonzo Schoff (1818-1904) was born in Danville, Vermont and grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He took up engraving at age 16 as an apprentice in Boston, and then studied under Boston engraver Joseph Andrews, with whom he visited Europe in 1839. Schiff spent about two years in Paris, studying drawing at the school of Hippolyte Delaroche, and perfecting himself in his art.He returned to the United States, created art etchings, and did engraving work for several bank note companies. In 1858 he kept a studio in Boston and lived in Newtonville. He was also employed at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing for several starting in 1869.Schoff befriended American painter William Morris Hunt (1824-1879) during the 1860s and engraved or etched a number of plates after Hunt's works. Schoff was best known for his portraiture. He lived in a number of locations, including New York, Washington D.C., Connecticut, and Vermont, but for most of his life he resided in Newton, Massachusetts.He died in Norfolk, Connecticut on May 6, 1904.Schoff was recognized in 1979 when the Smithsonian Institution presented an exhibition on life and work. The Smithsonian still maintains a "Schoff Collection" as part of their " 150 Years of Print Collecting at the Smithsonian " exhibit. There are also collections of Schoff's work housed in the print rooms of the Library of Congress, Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the New York Public Library. ------- Artist Elihu Vedder (1836-1923) was an American symbolist painter , book illustrator and poet from New York City.He is best known for his 55 illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ( the deluxe edition, published by Houghton Mifflin).He was born in New York City. Vedder trained in New York City with Tompkins H. Matteson, then in Paris with Francois-Edouard Picot. He completed his studies in Italy - where he was strongly influenced not only by Italian Renaissance work but also by the modern painters and the Italian landscape.Vedder returned to the United States during the American Civil War , though after the war he returned to live in Italy , with a hamo first in Rome and after on the Isle of Capri.Vedder visited England many times. He was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and was a friend of Simeon Solomon. He was also influenced by the work of English and Irish mystics such as William Blake and William Butler Yeats. In 1890 Vedder helped establish the In Arte Libertas group in Italy.Tiffany Company commissioned him to design glassware, mosaics and statuettes for the company. Vedder occasionally returned to the United States, but lived only in Italy from 1906 until his death in 1923. ------ The etching : This etching is after Vedder's original 1864 oil painting, Lair of the Sea Serpent.The huge mythical creature is burrowing into a hillock on a sandy shore. The sea serpent's immense size, its thick, coiled body, and its incongruous placement in a tranquil setting suggest the influence on Vedder of nightmarish demons such as those portrayed by Gustave Dore and Francisco de Goya. Vedder has incongruously placed a monstrous serpent into what, at first glance, appears to be a peaceful seaside scene.In the etching, the serpents head can just be seen above the sea grass at the center of the image.The gigantic reptile's eye is just left of center. The picture is one of the first in a series of mystical themes that characterized Vedder's painting. The huge monster is motionless as it overlooks an expanse of nature like an incarnate evil, calmly waiting for its moment to act. This picture can be seen a symbol of the serene purity of the soul in danger of a horrible evil. The terrible serpent lying there with its sleepless eye is the evil which threatens a man's life and his soul. It appears in an unexpected place. Vedder's painting is an expression of fear, the nightmare thing, the danger waiting to swallow us whole...if given the chance.

Price: 250 USD

Location: Coventry, Rhode Island

End Time: 2024-09-30T14:29:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD