Thomas Lewis Atkinson - The Prize Calf
Thomas Lewis Atkinson (1817-1889/90), British
after Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), British
The Prize Calf, 1871
ENGRAVING ON WOVE PAPER, 26 x 18 ½ inches (image)
Animal painter Edwin Landseer was the favorite of Queen Victoria and in many ways typified his era. The sentimental subjects, including that of The Prize Calf, that made Landseer's paintings so popular during his own lifetime rendered his work unpalatable to later critics. His mastery of animal anatomy, however, has never been questioned, and it lends his works a formal strength and a captivating integrity. His paintings were enjoyed by a wide public through engraved reproductions such as this one.