Pen and vermillion ink and watercolor over graphite on medium, slightly textured, cream wove paper
Dimensions:
Mount: 10 13/16 x 15 1/16 inches (27.5 x 38.3 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.329
Gallery Label:
From time to time Rowlandson made landscape drawings in a refined picturesque style. In this example he conjures a vision of bucolic country life with a group of woodcutters pausing from their strenuous work to enjoy a picnic. Commoners had the right to gather wood for fuel, but such ancient rights were under threat as the economic interests of local landowners led them to enclose common land and enforce strict laws against trespassing. Rowlandson renders the woodland with an idyllic air distanced from the harsh new realities of actual country life. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)
