Thomas Landseer (1795 - 1880) A Bengal Tiger Oil on canvas ...

Hammer

£50,000

Thomas Landseer (1795 - 1880)
A Bengal Tiger
Oil on canvas

Provenance:
Private collection, England

This newly discovered picture by Thomas Landseer depicts the Bengal tiger which was housed in the menagerie at King’s Mews in London, now the site of the National Gallery. The painting was likely made as preparation for an etching in the print series 'Characteristick Portraits of Animals' published in 1829 (fig. 1), a project which was published in parts over several years. In both the painting and the etching, we see a snarling tiger guarding its kill. In the print a second tiger has been added, which appears to be intent on stealing the deer. The scene is far removed from the London menagerie in which the tiger was housed, and instead evokes the dark forests of India which would have greatly appealed to the romantically minded British viewer. 

Much like his brother Edwin, Thomas Landseer made a significant amount of his income from publishing engravings of his finished pictures. It would therefore appear likely that the present picture was used as a worked-up study for the more lucrative etching which was to come. Nail marks around the edges of the canvas suggest that Landseer pinned the picture up in his studio, studying from it while he worked on the etching. The large scale of the painting suggests that the commercially minded Landseer was hoping to find a buyer for the painting after he had finished preparing the etching. 

Dimensions:
(Canvas) 46 in. (H) x 59.6 in. (W)
(Frame) 49.25 in. (H) x 62.75 in. (W)