Artwork
Doe and Two Fawns
Doe and Two Fawns is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work, painted by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait in 1882, is an oil on academy board landscape that belongs to The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Doe and Two Fawns portrays a mother deer accompanied by two young fawns, a subject identified in the sources as a deer. The work, painted by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait in 1882, is an oil on academy board landscape that belongs to The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its composition emphasizes the naturalistic rendering of wildlife, reflecting the 19th‑century interest in American fauna.
The painting measures 25.4 cm in height and 35.6 cm in width, as recorded in the museum’s catalog.
Technique & Style
Doe and Two Fawns is an oil painting executed on a wooden academy board, a support commonly used by 19th‑century American wildlife artists. The work, created in 1882 by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, measures 25.4 cm by 35.6 cm and belongs to The American Wing’s landscape genre. Tait’s technique combines precise brushwork with a naturalistic palette, rendering the deer in a realistic, almost photographic manner while maintaining a balanced composition and subtle atmospheric depth.
The painting’s formal qualities emphasize the animals’ musculature and the texture of foliage, reflecting the artist’s skill in capturing movement and anatomy within a traditional oil medium.
History & Provenance
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait created the oil painting Doe and Two Fawns in 1882. The work was executed on academy board and depicts a landscape scene featuring deer. Since its creation, the painting has entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within the institution's American Wing.
Doe and Two Fawns is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it belongs to the institution's American Wing collection. The painting, an oil on academy board completed in 1882, measures 25.4 by 35.6 cm. No specific accession number or exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
The work is catalogued on Wikidata as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's holdings, with its location and collection both recorded as the museum itself.
Overview
Created in 1882, Doe and Two Fawns is an oil painting executed on a rigid academy board. The composition presents a mother deer and her two young in a tranquil, sun‑dappled meadow, rendered with the soft, diffused light typical of late‑summer scenes. The work is part of the American Wing collection, reflecting the artist’s focus on North American wildlife.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (February 5, 1819 – April 28, 1905) was a British-American artist who is known mostly for his paintings of wildlife. During most of his career, he was associated with the New York City art scene.
