| Method | Etching |
| Artist | after George Stubbs |
| Published | [The Gentleman's Magazine, XLIII, July 1773] |
| Dimensions | Image 150 x 98 mm, Plate 170 x 115 mm, Sheet 208 x 127 mm |
| Notes |
The earliest obtainable popular print of a Kangaroo, closely based upon the celebrated oil painting by Stubbs, published in the Gentleman's Magazine in July 1773. The etching shows the enigmatic marsupial almost in profile to the left, with its head turned back to look over its shoulder. It stands on a rocky outcrop, with one eye on the viewer. The painting upon which the engraving was based, entitled The Kongouro from New Holland, was commissioned by the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks upon his return from participation in Cook's first voyage (1768 and 1771), and, alongside descriptions of the animal, caused an immediate sensation. It is now in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. A close copy of the painting was engraved by an anonymous engraver for inclusion in John Hawkesworth's 'An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, and successively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret, and Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour.' The publication of Hawkesworth's official publication was marred by a legal dispute between Banks and the brother of the illustrator Sydney Parkinson, who had died of dysentery while at sea, leading Stanfield Parkinson to hurriedly publish some of his brother's papers before the official account could be released. Despite Hawkesworth obtaining a legal injunction, the enthusiasm for news of Cook's voyages among the general public meant that popular prints and narratives quickly appeared, including the current example. George Stubbs (1724-1806) was a painter and anatomist. A superb animal painter and a penetrating portraitist, Stubbs is best known for his Anatomy of a Horse, 1766, a series of magnificent engravings based on the dissections he carried out in a remote village in Lincolnshire. A friend of Josiah Wedgwood, Stubbs experimented with painting on alternative surfaces, including copper, porcelain and a Wedgwood plaque. Lennox-Boyd 361 Condition: Printers creases to left margin, not affecting image. Trimmed within plate at top and along left side, as issued. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £250.00 |
| Stock ID | 52607 |