1836
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Bonapartian Gull is a 1836 ink by Robert Havell Jr., a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows two birds fighting over a small fish on a beach. One bird is mostly white with black wingtips, while the other is darker with a red beak. The sky is light blue, and the shore has some rocks and sand in the background. The artist used fine lines to show the birds’ feathers in detail. The white bird’s wings are spread wide, almost like it’s mid-flight. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one used metal plates to make prints.
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
See the richer artist page
