Dundee Art Galleries & Museum: 272-1987-272
Artist: Rajon, Paul Adolphe
Date: 1880
State: 3/3
Size: 38.4 x 22.9 cm
Medium: Etching
| Alternative Title(s) | The Strigels and Sponges, after Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema |
| Details | Etching. Black ink on thin white paper. Printsellers’ Association notes it as ‘Artist’s Proof on Vellum’.Top right: ‘London, published by Pilgeram & Lefèvre, July 1 1880’. Original cost 20gns. Limited to 20 impressions.
Graphite signatures along bottom; ‘L. Alma Tadema’ and ‘Rajon’. |
| Description | This print was taken from an 1879 watercolour by the classicising painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) and is signed by both artists. The original watercolour is in the collection of the British Museum. The unidentified portraits, likely the family of the etcher, in the margin of the print are rare examples of remarque in which a miniature sketch is added by the artist.A catalogue (held in the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum) of an exhibition of Rajon’s work at Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell’s Gallery at 133 New Bond Street, London in 1885 noted four etchings; Charles Darwin (No. 89), The Legend (No. 80), The Prayer (No. 77) and Strigels and Sponges (No.72) for sale. It seems likely that these four subjects were the most popular by Rajon and Orchar owned impressions of each from 1881 onwards.
Impressions of all four etchings ‘The Legend’ after G.P. Chalmers (No. 101), ‘Strigils and Sponges’ after Alma-Tadema (No. 103), ‘Portrait of Charles Darwin’ (No. 105) and ‘Prayer’ after G.P. Chalmers (No. 106) along with an impression of James Clarke Hook’s Brimming Holland (No. 126) were also exhibited at The Fine Art Society’s Galleries, 148 New Bond Street in 1880. It is possible Orchar bought all five works during this exhibition or was at least inspired to collect all four as a set after seeing the exhibition. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Etchings by Braquemond, Flameng, Seymour, Haden, Herkomer, Whistler and others. City Road, London, Virtue & Co. Ltd. 1880. Archives of the National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. |
| Exhibited Dundee | Exhibited at the Dundee Fine Art Exhibition, Albert Institute, 1881 (Fourth Gallery, No. 804 no price). Dundee Fine Art Exhibition Catalogue 1881, The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum.Charles Darwin, F.R.S. (after W.W. Ouless, A.R.A.) (No. 821) and Prayer, after G. Paul Chalmers, R.S.A. (No. 827) both marked as ‘Property of J.G. Orchar, Esq. were also exhibited at the same exhibition in 1881.
Rajon also exhibited two prints, The Blue Boy; after Gainsborough (No. 893 £3.0) and Watchmen, what of the Night?: after G.F. Watts, R.A. (No. 901 £5.5) in the 1882 exhibition. |
| Other Collections |
|
| References |
|