Butterfly Hunting
June 1806
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 9/16 × 12 11/16 in. (26.9 × 32.2 cm) Plate: 9 13/16 × 12 in. (24.9 × 30.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.533.956
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Butterfly Hunting," a hand-colored etching created by Thomas Rowlandson and by William Holland in June1806, captures a whimsical yet satirical moment in an English garden. Rowlandson, a master of Georgian caricature renowned for his lively, exaggerated depictions of British society, teams up here with publisher Holland to poke fun at leisurely pursuits. The scene likely features men and women chasing butterflies amid floral surroundings, a nod to the era's genteel pastimes that often doubled as metaphors for flirtation and social maneuvering. This print exemplifies the golden age of British ...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|William Holland · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...