GOLDSMITH ON HIS TRAVELS
Artist: E. M. Ward ____________ Engraver: W. Greatbach
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Note: the title in the table above is printed below the engraving
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THIS IS AN ANTIQUE STEEL ENGRAVING PRINT FROM THE EARLY 1870s. NOT A MODERN REPRODUCTION IN ANY WAY!!!
FROM THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:
This picture is one of the earliest productions of an artist who long has taken his place in the highest rank of our historical painters. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844? and may thus be regarded as the first fruit of a most abundant harvest; for since that date and the present time how many works has not Mr. Ward sent forth from his studio; all more or less contributing to maintain the honor of the English school in the most important department of Art; for even this comparatively juvenile essay offers an assurance of what was to come in the future.
There are not many authors whose writings have supplied our artists with a larger and more attractive store of subjects than the eccentric, unwise, yet large-hearted man of genius, Oliver Goldsmith, whose early life, at least, was marked by singularity of conduct-unstable in all he undertook. It was after he had studied chemistry and anatomy in the University of Leyden, with the view of practicing medicine, that he set out to make a tour of Europe on foot, having with him, as is said, only one clean shirt, and no money; and trusting to his wits for support. The following passage in the " Vicar of Wakefield " is supposed to describe his own travels :-" I had some knowledge of music, and now turned what was once my amusement into a pleasant means of subsistence. Whenever I approached a peasant's house towards night-fall I played one of my most merry tunes, and that not only procured me a lodging, but subsistence for the next day." By means of this and other expedients he worked his way through Flanders, parts of France and Germany, Switzerland, where he composed a portion of his poem " The Traveller," and the north of Italy.
The passage from some life of Goldsmith, quoted by Mr. Ward as suggesting his picture, is this:-"He was a tolerable proficient in the French language, and played on the German flute with a degree of taste above mediocrity. Thus qualified, he traveled on, anxious to gratify his curiosity, and doubtful of the means of subsistence ; his classical knowledge, however, afforded him occasional entertainment in the religious houses, while his musical talents continued to feed and lodge him among the merry poor of Flanders," &c.
And here we see the "wandering Irish minstrel" at the door of a Fleming's dwelling, endeavouring to earn his supper and bed for the night by playing one of the beautiful melodies of his country, in all probability, OHL his flute: its music attracts the whole family, which is found to consist of three generations; the table is spread with refreshment, and a man, who stands with his back to the spectator, is preparing, as it seems, to hand, a smoking dish to the musician. It is a pleasant out-of-door scene, this family-gathering when the day's work is done; the arrangement of the figures is artistic, while the action of all is perfectly natural, even to that of the dog, .'which appears, however, not a little inclined to howl an accompaniment to the flutist. Were we disposed to be critical, exception might be taken to Goldsmith's dress, which certainly does not look as if it had been subjected to much wear and tear on his protracted journey.
BIOGRAPHY OF ARTIST: Edward Matthew Ward (b Pimlico, London, 14 July 1816; d Windsor, 15 Jan 1879). Painter. His parents encouraged his early interest in art. He was sent to a number of art schools, including that of John Cawse (1779-1862), before gaining entry to the Royal Academy Schools in 1835. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1834 with Adelphi Smith as 'Don Quixote' (untraced). In 1836 he went abroad for further study, visiting Paris and Venice on the way to Rome, where he spent three years. His first work of any consequence was Cimabue and Giotto (untraced), which he sent back to the Royal Academy show of 1839. On the way back to England at the end of that year Ward visited Munich to learn the technique of modern fresco painting in order to take part in the competition to decorate the Palace of Westminster, but his cartoon, Boadicea (1843; untraced), was unsuccessful. However, in 1852 he was commissioned to produce eight pictures for the Palace of Westminster, on subjects drawn from the English Civil War, the best of which is the Last Sleep of Argyll (1860s) in the Commons Corridor of the Houses of Parliament.
PRINT DATE:This lithograph was printed in the 1870s; it is not a modern reproduction in any way.
PRINT SIZE:Overall print size is 9 inches by 12 inches including white borders, actual scene is 7 inches by 9 inches.
PRINT CONDITION: Condition is fine. Bright and clean. Blank on reverse.
SHIPPING:Buyers to pay shipping/handling, domestic orders receives priority mail, international orders receive regular mail. Please allow time for personal check to clear.
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Please note: the terms used in our auctions for engraving, heliogravure, lithograph, print, plate, photogravure etc. are ALL prints on paper, NOT blocks of steel or wood. "ENGRAVINGS", the term commonly used for these paper prints, were the most common method in the 1700s and 1800s for illustrating old books, and these paper prints or "engravings" were inserted into the book with a tissue guard frontis, usually on much thicker quality rag stock paper, although many were also printed and issued as loose stand alone prints. So this auction is for an antique paper print(s), probably from an old book, of very high quality and usually on very thick rag stock paper.
Note: as an EBAY powerseller, we strive for customer satisfaction, and will take returns if customer is unsatisfied.
EXTREMELY RARE TO FIND IN THIS EXCELLENT CONDITION!
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