1836
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Smew or White Nun is a 1836 ink by Robert Havell Jr., a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This picture shows two birds in flight over a rocky coastline. The bird in the air has white and black feathers with a long neck and pointed wings. Below, another bird floats on the water, its head and chest a warm brown, wings spread wide. The artist used careful lines to show each feather and ripple in the water. This style was common in detailed nature prints from the 1800s. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved intricate designs into metal plates.
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
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