Joseph Pennell, "Kirkstall Abbey - Old and New [Leeds]", 1909

Item Details

Joseph Pennell (American; 1860-1926)
Kirkstall Abbey – Old and New [Leeds]
1909
etching on paper, plate W547
signed by hand in graphite along bottom edge
inscribed to paper verso:

J. Pennell 1860-1926)
I# 44929

inscribed to mat verso:

Joseph Pennell $275 I
Kirkstall Abbey -
Leeds 1909
W457 Edi40
American

Provenance
Ex Collection of collector Christopher Lane

An etching on paper titled Kirkstall Abbey – Old and New [Leeds] by American artist Joseph Pennell (1860-1926), created in 1909. As a typical subject for the artist who often etched historic landmarks, this work features a panoramic view of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England with a silhouetted depiction of the famous Kirkstall Abbey visible in the distant background. A river winds through the central foreground, surrounded by trees and town architecture that fades as it recedes into the background. The work comes from an edition of 40 and is marked W547, indicating that the plate is included in the Wuerth Catalogue Raisonné. The print is signed by hand in graphite along the bottom edge of the plate mark. With the top edge adhered, the composition is presented under protective plastic between two layers of off-white matting. The composition remains unframed. A descriptive label from Kennedy Galleries, Inc. is adhered to the underside of the top mat. The work remains unframed.

Born in Philadelphia, Joseph Pennell received training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art. Although he is recognized as a lithographer, illustrator, painter, and teacher, he is considered one of the renowned American artists of the etching revival period. He is particularly known for his etchings of various subjects such as monuments, landscapes, cityscapes, factories, and documentary series. It is believed that Pennell was a member of the New York Etchers Club and was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Society of Etchers. As a close friend of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, he was very influenced by the famed artist and, with his wife, co-authored a biography about Whistler published in 1908. Pennell taught at the Art Students League of New York and Slade School of Art. He was elected a member of the National Academy in 1907 and an Academician in 1909.

Condition

- bleeding of linear details throughout composition; toning all around plate edges; smudge marks and stains throughout paper margins; blue ink stains present in upper left corner of paper; truncated illegible handwriting along lower edge of paper; minor wrinkling outside plate marks and along edges of paper; minor rips and paper remnants along lower edge of paper.

Dimensions

- measurement of mat; plate marks measure approximately 12.4" W x 9.4" H.

Item #

17DCC124-085