February 2, 2010
A beautifully feathered nest:
Bird's Nest returns to Clayton
Bird’s Nest by William Henry Hunt (English, 1790–1864), has returned to Clayton.
This watercolor was recently conserved and has returned to its customary place in the decorative scheme of the nursery. Its lovely, down-filled nest and soft primroses evoke the adventures and discoveries of childhood, just like the bluebirds and flowers on the nursery’s ceiling and walls.
Hunt combined great technical and observational skills into an almost hyper-real execution—the primrose leaves have their characteristic tiny bits of stubble and the bird’s nest is delicately lined with down—so much so that the clarity of the rendering leads many to mistake this watercolor for a photograph. |
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Upcoming lectures
The Well-Appointed Nursery, Featuring William Henry Hunt’s Bird’s Nest
Thursdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
2:00 p.m.
Different aspects of William Henry Hunt’s Birds Nest will be the focus of these 15-minute gallery talks by members of the Frick Education staff. Meet at the Clayton porte cochère. Free.
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Hunt achieved this remarkable clarity by painting his watercolors on a specially prepared hard ground of Chinese white and gum Arabic that heightens the luminosity and richness of the pigments. Beginning in the 1830s Hunt earned the nickname “Bird’s Nest” Hunt because such exquisite renderings became his specialty. And while he made many such compositions of nests, eggs and botanically accurate blooms, who could tire of such small windows of perfection?
As a young man, Hunt was part of Dr. Thomas Munro’s (1759–1833) “academy,” along with many other talented watercolor students. Munro was a medical doctor (he treated King George III for many years) whose avocation was watercolor painting and collecting. He invited artists into his house to copy works from his collection, and he also welcomed them to his country home, where they could ramble the grounds and sketch from nature. This developed Hunt’s habit of working directly from nature—even if it meant digging up plants to take them into the studio. This interest in authenticity and truth in representation made him an influential predecessor to the younger generation of English artists known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The famous art critic and writer John Ruskin was also an admirer of Hunt and took lessons from him in the 1850s and 60s.
This nature study is displayed in a gilt oval mat which accentuates its precious qualities, and, as far as we have determined, is original to its purchase in 1900 by Henry Clay Frick. Unfortunately, prior to conservation there was no buffering material between the acidic mat and the drawing. The piece was also mounted to a heavy board, which was deeply acid-burned by the frame’s wooden backing. Upon removal from its frame it was clear that the little piece had been hinged and unhinged a number of times in its life, and its corners were very worn and fragile. Paper conservator Wendy Bennett carefully removed the drawing from its mount and stabilized the fragile corners. She also used a poultice to remove adhesive residue. Now under museum glass, which filters harmful ultraviolet light, the surface is remarkably fine, fresh and intact, offering us a beautiful little window into the timeless miracles of spring.
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