Thomas Landseer (1795-1880), British,
after Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), British
The Stag at Bay, 1865
ENGRAVING ON WOVE PAPER, 20 ½ x 36 3/8 inches (image)

Edwin Landseer's painting, reproduced here in a engraving by the artist's older brother, Thomas, depicts a battle between a stag and two wolves in epic terms. The exhausted stag, its tongue lolling from the side of its mouth, rears its head as it tries to crush its enemy under foot. Meanwhile, a violent storm plays out in the background, lending emo­tional power to the mortal struggle. More than any other subject, Landseer's deer paintings of the 1840s and 1850s were responsible for his fame as an artist. Through the sale of reproductive engravings such as this one, Landseer became a household name.