Extensive Wooded Landscape with Woodsmen Loading a Cart. by Joseph Farington, 1747-1821

Joseph Farington, 1747-1821
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Extensive Wooded Landscape with Woodsmen Loading a Cart.

Original etching with softground etching in black ink. 1790. Signed and dated 1790 in the plate. With the etched inscription:' Drawn from nature & etch'd by Jos. Farington R.A.' With the publication line:' Pub March 10 1791 by J.C.Stadler No 30 Grafton Street'. Rare proof before any aquatint was added to the plate and with 'scratch' lettering.

Extremely fine strong impression. On off white laid india (chine appliqué) on pale cream laid 18th century backing sheet, as printed. In surprisingly fine condition for such a rare and large scale etching; minor margin soiling and a little time discolouration in the upper left sheet corner; two minor margin tears repaired; two pale flecks in the sky. Sheet: 20 5/8 x 25 3/4ins. Plate: 18 x 24 3/4. 457x630m

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Joseph Farington was one of the most successful painters of landscape views at the end of the eighteenth century in England. A pupil of Richard Wilson, he also studied at the Royal Academy, becoming an Academician (R.A.) in 1785. He is particularly admired for his topographical drawing executed in a style of sensitive curling linear outline and delicate shading.

It was this same style that Farington brought to his work in prints. He made a reputation for compositions translated into coloured aquatint plates through his association with professional printmakers like Joseph Stadler in such series as the Views on the River Thames, but what is not widely known is that he also made a small number of creative landscape compositions on his own, working in pure etching with softground. As he noted on the prints these works were made by sketching onto the plate direct from nature. Some of these prints, which are extremely rare, were on an unusually large scale. The two works in this catalogue are from this small body of work. They are amongst the extremely few examples of these prints that we have seen over a period of more than 30 years. With his characteristic use of line they stand out as exceptional examples of large scale landscape etching at the end of the eighteenth century

Farington drew these 'etchings from nature' on his own account, but he arranged for them to be sold to his friend Stadler. Stadler subsequently had some of the plates embellished with aquatint tone to make them more commercially saleable, however, they were conceived as pure etching, as here.