Young Anglers (Liber Studiorum, part VII)
Medium
Etching and mezzotint; first state of three
Dimensions
plate: 7 1/16 x 10 5/16 in. (17.9 x 26.2 cm) sheet: 8 1/8 x 11 1/2 in. (20.6 x 29.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.97.32
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching and mezzotint print, titled *Young Anglers*, belongs to J.M.W. Turner’s ambitious *Liber Studiorum* series, published in parts between 1807 and 1819. Created in June 1811 as part VII, the work reflects Turner’s goal of showcasing landscape art across categories such as pastoral scenes. Here, the tranquil subject of men fishing evokes the quiet rhythms of rural life, aligning with the Romantic era’s fascination with nature and everyday human activity. The medium of etching combined with mezzotint allowed Turner and engraver Robert Dunkarton to achieve rich tonal contrasts and atmo...
About the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner|Robert Dunkarton|Joseph Mallord William Turner · 1775–1851
Joseph Mallord William Turner, born on 23 April 1775 in London's Covent Garden to barber William Turner and Mary Marshall, emerged as a child prodigy amid personal hardships. His mother suffered mental illness and died in Bethlem Hospital in 1804, while his father supported his early sketches by displaying them in his shop. Around age 10, Turner stayed with his uncle Joseph Mallord William Marshal...