| Charles Knight after John Russell R.A. The Favourite Rabbit 18.5 x 15.5 A pair of hand coloured stipple plate engravings by Charles Knight after the Royal Academician, John Russell, published in London in 1792. A pair of domestic scenes exceptional for both the sentimentality of the subject matter and the delicacy of the engraving. The method of stipple engraving, whereby a copper plate was indented with thousands of tiny dots, lends itself beautifully to romantic images such as these. Two young children are depicted cherishing their pets, a brace of pigeons in the case of young Tom and a cute bunny rabbit in the case of his sister. The only potential unpleasantness that one might perceive is if Tom's pussycat gets its teeth around the pigeons' necks, otherwise everything is tranquil and contented. With revolutionary fervour sweeping France across the Channel and the Terror about to unleash its worst, prints such as these would have brough solace to a trepidatious English audience. Born in Guildford and a fanatical convert to Methodism, John Russell was so adept at his art that he became the official Crayon (pastel) Painter to King George, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York: high patronage indeed! £1275 Pair |
