THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)
THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)
THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)
THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)
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THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)

The Comet

细节
THOMAS ROWLANDSON (LONDON 1756-1827)
The Comet
signed and dated 'Rowlandson. 1821.' (lower centre)
pencil, pen and ink, and watercolour on paper
13 x 10 ½ in. (33 x 26.7 cm.)
来源
Anonymous Sale; Christie's, New York, 25 October 1984, lot 439.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 9 July 1991, lot 70, where purchased by the present owner.

荣誉呈献

Alastair Plumb
Alastair Plumb Senior Specialist, Head of Sale, European Art

拍品专文

The Great Comet of 1811, still faintly visible in early 1812, inflamed the popular imagination. Across the world the comet was hailed as both a beneficent omen for uprisings and the signal of the end of times—particularly associated with Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Russia. It was immortalised in the work of literary titans including Leo Tolstoy and Victor Hugo. In the present picture, Rowlandson recalls the fervorous response to the comet a decade on from its advent. Crowded rooftops and figures hanging from casements impute an false ephemerality to the comet’s appearance, which moved slowly across the sky for many months. The present work benefits from Rowland’s deft eye for satire and features his typical mix of grotesque male figures and rosy, buxom women.

Rowlandson, born in London to a tradesman, studied first in Paris and later at the Royal Academy. His reputation as a caricaturist is juxtaposed with his refined handling of architectural detail. In addition to working in caricature and portraiture, Rowland found success as an illustrator for Tobias Smollett, Oliver Goldsmith, and Laurence Sterne.

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