Head of a Roebuck and Two Ptarmigan
Edwin Henry Landseer·c. 1830
Historical Context
Landseer's Head of a Roebuck and Two Ptarmigan depicts the animals of the Scottish Highlands that became his signature subjects — the roebuck and the mountain ptarmigan are both creatures of the high ground, their presence in a single composition evoking the specific ecological world of the Scottish uplands. Landseer, the most celebrated animal painter in Victorian England, developed his Highland subjects during extended visits to Scotland that began in the 1820s and continued throughout his career. His scientific accuracy in depicting animal anatomy and behavior was combined with an emotional interpretation that gave his animal subjects the psychological dignity Victorian audiences wanted from animals — not scientific specimens but characters.
Technical Analysis
The roebuck's fur and the ptarmigans' plumage are rendered with extraordinary textural precision. Landseer's mastery of varied surface textures — smooth antler, soft fur, delicate feathers — demonstrates the technical virtuosity that made him famous.
Provenance
William Wells (died 1847), Redleaf, Kent; by descent to his nephew, also called William Wells, M. P. (died 1889), Holme Wood, Peterborough; sold, Christie's, London, May 10, 1890, lot 30, as Roe’s Head and Ptarmigan, to Martin Colnaghi. Major Randolph Charles Rufus Molyneux Clarke (died 1955); sold, Christie's, London, May 2, 1952, lot 6, to Toyer as agent for Thomas Agnew and Sons, London [acc. to annotated sale cat. and Agnew letter dated September 3, 1988, in curatorial file]; sold by Agnew's to Henry P. McIlhenny (died 1986), Philadelphia, 1952 [see Agnew letter cited above]; sold by McIlhenny estate, Christie's, New York, May 20, 1987, lot 147. Wheelock Whitney & Co., New York, by October 1987; sold to the Art Institute, 1988.
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