Old Master and British Works on Paper
Old Master and British Works on Paper
A Way of Life: The Collection of Barbara & Ernest Kafka
Four studies of animals heads
No reserve
Lot Closed
July 6, 01:59 PM GMT
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A Way of Life: The Collection of Barbara & Ernest Kafka
Robert Hills, O.W.S.
Islington 1769 - 1844 London
Four studies of animals heads
including a chimpanzee; a giraffe; two mice and an elephant
Each watercolour over pencil
320 by 263 mm; 252 by 208 mm; 242 by 210 mm; 345 by 285 mm
(4)
Hills entered the Royal Academy schools in 1788 and exhibited his first picture there in 1791. In 1804 he became a founding member of the Society of Painters in Watercolour, later serving as its treasurer and then, for twenty-one years, its secretary.
He was highly regarded by his contemporaries for his picturesque landscapes and his ability to portray animals. Between 1795 and 1815, Hills published nearly 800 animal studies for his extensive series: Etchings of Quadrupeds, and it is likely that the present four watercolours are connected to this body of work.