John Park, “The Romantic House”, 1878, after John Constable (2nd copy)

John Park (1851–1919)

“The Romantic House”, 1878

Insights about the Subject:

The Tate Gallery (London) provides the following background on the house—known as Old Grove House, located at 26 Hampstead Grove in the historic heart of Hampstead, North London—featured centrally in this scene: 

“At some time known as The Grove, Admiral's House takes its present name from Admiral Matthew Barton (?1715–1795), who retired there towards the end of the eighteenth century. Barton rigged out the roof of the building in nautical style: ‘from this elevated position,’ wrote T.J. Barratt in 1912, ‘the old sailor was accustomed, at times when naval victories were being celebrated, to fire salutes from a couple of cannon he had mounted there, on what he called his quarter-deck.’ … The pond, which no longer exists, was known as Clock House Pond or Crockett's Pond.” See: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-the-grove-hampstead-n01246

The British Museum describes the scene: 

“House at Hampstead; figures and cattle around a watering hole in the foreground with small bridge at right, the house with tower, known as 'The Grove' (or 'Admiral's House'), seen through trees behind…”Museum Number 1879,0510.130 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1879-0510-130

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on buff-coloured laid paper. The design is based on John Constable’s (1776–1837) painting, “The Grove, Hampstead” (circa 1821–32), held in the collection of the Tate Gallery. See: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-the-grove-hampstead-n01246.This etching was printed in Paris by François Liénard (active circa 1860s–1880s) and published facing page 178 in the French periodical, “L’Art,” in 1878.

This is a richly inked, crisp, and evenly printed (faultless) impression. The sheet is in near pristine condition, free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 36 x 29.4 cm
• Platemark: 25.8 x 21.4 cm
• Image borderline: 24.9 x 20.9 cm

In-Plate Lettering (below the image):

• Left: “John Constable R.A. pinx. / L’Art.”
• Centre: “THE ROMANTIC HOUSE.”
• Right “J. Park, sc. / F^çois Liénard, Imp. Paris.

Price & Shipping:

AU$222 (approximately US$155.19 / €135.67 / £115.27), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in acquiring this creatively inventive transcription of Constable’s painting—where swirling lines add drama to the clouds and tiny flecks of white suggest sparkling light—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

John Park’s etching, “The Romantic House", c1878, after John Constable

John Park (1851–1919)

"The Romantic House", c1878, after John Constable’s (1776–1837) painting, “The Grove, Hampstead” (collection of the TATE Gallery [N01246]), printed in Paris by François Liénard (fl. c. 1860s–1880s) and published in the French periodical, “L’Art” in 1878.

Etching on cream laid paper with partial Arches watermark.

Size: (sheet) 39.3 x 27 cm; (plate) 25.8 x 21.3 cm; (image borderline) 24.8 x 20.8 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (left) “John Constable R.A. pinx./ L’Art.”; (centre) “THE ROMANTIC HOUSE”; (right) “J. Park, sc./ F^çois Liénard, Imp. Paris.”

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“House at Hampstead; figures and cattle around a watering hole in the foreground with small bridge at right, the house with tower, known as 'the Grove', seen through trees behind; after a painting by John Constable in the V&A (Reynolds 21.108); published in 'L'Art', 1878

Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1879-0510-130).

Regarding the portrayed subject, the gallery label at the TATE offers the following insights: “The house known as ‘The Grove’ was occupied in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by Fountain North, a former lieutenant in the navy. North made alterations to the building so that its flat roof resembled the quarter-deck of a man-of-war; from here he is said to have fired a cannon on special occasions. By the time Constable came to stay regularly at Hampstead in the 1820s, the main relics of this eccentric arrangement seem to have been the railings round the edges of the roof" (TATE Gallery label, May 2007 [https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/constable-the-grove-hampstead-n01246]).

Condition: a richly inked and well-printed impression in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds or significant stains.

I am selling this creatively inventive transcription of Constable’s painting into a network of lines—note the swirling lines giving drama to the form of the clouds and how tiny flecks of white suggest the sparkle of light (a visual device of adding strokes of white employed by Constable to suggest the glittering effect of light on water droplets that has been described as his “snow”)—for a total cost of AU$212 (currently US$151.94/EUR134.47/GBP114.69 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this very beautiful and vibrant etching, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

John Park’s etching, “Shields Harbour (Evening)”, 1879

John Park (1851–1919)

“Shields Harbour (Evening)” (aka “Shields Harbor: Evening at Mouth of River Tyne”), 1879, initially printed by François Liénard (fl.c1860s–1880s) and published in 1879 Paris in the periodical, “L'Art.” This impression is from the later 1888–89 edition published as plate 44 [“Planche XLIV”] in M K Halévy’s “L’Eau-Forte”, vol. 2, [n.p.] page 97, with the description: “The sun has just set. In the background, through the darkness one sees the masts of the fishing boats; to the left are two high towers, with illuminated dials” (p. xviii). I understand that the etching is based on Park’s painting in the Collection of M J Stevenson (as noted by Halévy).

Etching on heavy buff-coloured wove paper.

Size: (sheet) 29.4 x 38.9 cm; (plate) 25.4 x 35.1 cm; (image borderline) 19.5 x 30 cm.

Inscribed in the plate above the image borderline: (centre) “Planche XLIV.”

The British Museum offers the following descriptions of this print:

“A dimly lit view of the quayside of the River Tyne; masts visible to the left and a group of buildings with light emanating from their windows (right)” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_2019-7015-451);“View of a harbour in the evening, with a small boat in the right foreground ashore on the beach, two lighthouses behind, masts of mooring ships in the left middle distance” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1880-0214-134).

Condition: a richly inked and well printed impression with wide margins in near pristine condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this marvellously dramatic etching of what must be twin lighthouses glowing in the last vestiges of a sunset with fishing nets and boats in the foreground—I understand from reading about the Scottish fishermen of the late 19^th century who used the harbour at Shields, that they landed about 40 million herring each year!—for the total cost of AU$212 (currently US$163.86/EUR134.68/GBP116.40 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazing etching that to my eyes is almost haunting in its eeriness, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

John Park’s etching, “Strayed — A Moonlight Pastoral”

John Park (1830–91; fl. 1867-91)

“Strayed — A Moonlight Pastoral”, 1864–79, after Cecil Gordon Lawson (1849-82), printed by François Liénard (fl. c.1860s–1880s) and published in the revue “L'Art”

Etching cream laid paper

Size: (sheet) 42.2 x 28.5 cm; (plate) 27.8 x 23.9 cm; (image) 25.7 x 22.4 cm

Lettered below image with title and: "(Grosvenor Gallery)", production detail: "Creil [sic?] Lawson, pinx.", "J. Park, sc.", "Fçois Liénard, Imp. Paris.", and: "L'Art."

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Moonlit view with a herd of sheep in the left foreground, in a field with a bare young tree, boats on the river in the right middle distance, the full moon above; after Cecil Lawson; published in 'L'Art'.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3425478&partId=1&searchText=john+park+Strayed&page=1)

Condition: richly inked and well-printed impression with full margins (as published) in near pristine condition.

I am selling this romantic evening etching of moonlit darkness in superb condition for the total cost of AU$212 including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this dark and evocative original print from the nineteenth century, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Not long ago I discussed another print by John Park which also features an image of the last vestiges of light illuminating a scene. This print, however, is even more romantic, By this I mean that it not only portrays an idyllic evening scene of pastures and sheep that probably has great appeal to city folk who wistfully dream of escape to a similar open countryside, but it also offers an poetic narrative of a solitary sheep that has wandered off from its mates to gaze towards distant harbour lights.

From a technical viewpoint, this is an amazing print in its complexity of layered hatching. What I particularly like about its execution is the way that Park has created tiny rhythms in the darkness so that the image is rich in pictorial energy. Beyond the high level of skill and knowledge shown in the rendering, another quality of this print that I find worthy of close study is the delicate balance of the composition; especially the placement of the softly glowing moon.

John Park’s etching and drypoint, “The End of the Voyage”

John Park (1830–91; fl. 1867-91)

“The End of the Voyage”, c.1860–80, published by the revue “L'Art” in 1880, printed by François Liénard (fl. c.1860s–1880s)

Etching with drypoint on fine laid paper

Size: (sheet) 43.5 x 30.8 cm; (plate) 22.5 x 14.9 cm

Lettered below image with title, production detail: "J. Park, del. et sc.", "F. Liénard, Imp. Paris.", and: "L'Art."

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“View in a harbour in twilight, shadow of a ship in the right foreground with mast down, further ships mooring behind” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3425471&partId=1&searchText=John+Park+the+end+of+the+voyage&page=1)

Condition: rich and well-printed strong impressions with full margins (as published). There are minute insect bite marks that are visible when the print is held to the light and there is a small tear on the far left margin, otherwise the print is in very good condition for its age.

I am selling this romantic evening etching of a harbour scene showing the last vestiges of light before darkness closes in for the total cost of AU$212 including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this remarkable original print from the nineteenth century, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

For many years I have been collecting etchings by John Park and the reason is simple: he is a master of rendering shadow with line. Usually, Park builds up his shadowy areas with a layering of knotted lines and spiralling rhythms that to my eyes connote a feeling of unease. With this print, however, the representation of the evening darkness seems relaxed and free of the usual knots and spiral of the artist’s inner turmoil. Instead, the build-up of aligned strokes and velvety drypoint lines project a feeling of tranquillity.

Notwithstanding tranquillity of the scene, the stark silhouette of the foreground ship’s rigging adds a prickly note of tension that—again from my personal reading of the image—complements and underpins the otherwise pervading calmness.