Landseer, Sir Edwin (1802-1873), artist, letter to 'Dear Beard'

Autograph letter signed 'Landseer' to 'Dear Beard' regarding Landseer's Highland holiday plans and his current health issues. Landseer appears to be writing to his doctor or a medical friend and complains that his he finds his '...inside very unsteady. often obliged to get up at night - this is a sorry picture for a party wishing to go at various ocupations with earnest energy. If you can oblige me with a call or would like me to see you at your own home after 4 I can attend you there - only soon is the word.' Landseer also mentions a commission for Beard executed by his pupil Freidrich Willhelm Keyl (1823-1871).

13 Nov 1862

1 file

Purchased from Maggs Bros. Ltd., 04/10/2013.

Edwin Henry Landseer RA, was an English painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of animals, notably horses, dogs and stags. During his lifetime his paintings of animals were unrivalled. He is perhaps also best known for his sculpture of the four lions at the base of Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square, London, a commisssion he worked on from 1858 and completed in 1867. His works can be found in Tate Britain, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kenwood House and the Wallace Collection in London. Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl (1823-1871) was Landseer's only pupil, an artist who, through Landseer's introduction, enjoyed an extensive patronage from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and also exhibited at the Royal Academy. Landseer was particularly associated with Scotland, which he had first visited in 1824, and the Highlands in particular, which provided the subjects (both human and animal) for many of his important paintings, including his early successes 'The Hunting of Chevy Chase' (1825–6) and 'An Illicit Whiskey Still in the Highlands' (1826–9), and his more mature achievements such as the majestic stag study 'Monarch of the Glen' (1851) and 'Rent Day in the Wilderness' (1855–68).

Much biographical information on Landseer can be found in print and on the world wide web. A biography of Landseer was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1976, Landseer: The Victorian Paragon by Campbell Lennie.

Online Archives and Manuscripts catalogue.