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Thomas Gainsborough, 1727–1788, British, Open Landscape with Figures, Cows and Cottage, between 1785 and 1788
- Title:
Open Landscape with Figures, Cows and Cottage
- Date:
- between 1785 and 1788
- Medium:
- Brown chalk, white chalk with gray wash on medium, slightly textured, beige laid paper
- Dimensions:
- Sheet: 10 1/4 x 12 3/8 inches (26 x 31.4 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B1977.14.6173
- Classification:
- Drawings & Watercolors
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- child | cottage | cows | dog (animal) | figures | herdsman | landscape | path | pig | rocks (landforms) | shepherd | trees | woman
- Access:
- Accessible by appointment in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Link:
- https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:9646
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In the 1780s Gainsborough repeatedly explored the theme of the cottage door, that is, landscapes depicting the economy of the small, self-sufficient rustic cottage. Here, his experience with aquatint and soft-ground etching allows him to blur the boundaries between drawing and print. This is a rare example of an offset drawing from Gainsborough's hand. An offset is created by pressing a finished drawing onto a damp sheet of paper to create a reverse impression of the original, the equivalent of a counterproof engraving. Gallery label for Connections (Yale Center for British Art, 2011-05-26 - 2011-09-11)
This is a very rare example of an offset drawing from Gainsborough’s hand, made by pressing a finished drawing onto a damp sheet of paper to create a reverse impression of the original. The theme of the cottage door, that is, a landscape depicting the economy of the small, self-sufficient rustic cottage, was one that he repeatedly explored in the 1780s. In this example Gainsborough’s experience with aquatint and soft-ground etching allowed him to blur the boundaries between drawing and print. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2011
Connections (Yale Center for British Art, 2011-05-26 - 2011-09-11) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]
Sensation and Sensibility: Viewing Gainsborough's " Cottage Door " (The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 2006-02-11 - 2006-05-14) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition] [Exhibition Description]
Sensation and Sensibility: Viewing Gainsborough's " Cottage Door " (Yale Center for British Art, 2005-10-06 - 2005-12-31) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition] [Exhibition Description]
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