109

  • Macaw, Love Birds, Terrier and Spaniel Puppy / The Property of Her Majesty, after the 1839 painting, Islay, Tilco, a macaw and two love-birds

  • 1877
  • Sir Edwin Landseer (British 1802-1873)
  • Engraving
  • 65.1 x 38.0 cm., 25-5/8 x 15" image
  • Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts Purchase, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2010.29

Essay by Brooke Bryant, Class of 2011

"Landseer gives his beloved animals soul, thought, poetry, and passion. He endows them with an intellectual life almost like our own," Théophile Gautier (Casteras 345). An important French critic of Landseer's time, Gautier appreciated Landseer's intense fondness for animals and impeccable gift for portraying them. Edwin Landseer was not alone in his affection for animals. England traditionally exercised a great deal of respect for living creatures. Animal rights had been actively discussed through legislation in England since the 1820s (Casteras 345). In English society, animals were appreciated and enjoyed, especially by Queen Victoria herself. During Landseer's era, art in Victorian England was very realistic and narrative (Brake 412). Landseer successfully combined this English love of animals with the realist narrative theme of art by anthropomorphizing animals in his paintings in order to tell a story.

Landseer's work for royalty began with a portrait commission for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The couple loved the painting and determined to hire him as their court's official animal painter. His first animal portrait was of Victoria's favorite King Charles spaniel named Dash. The princess was very pleased with the painting and this paved the way for Landseer in the court. Landseer began to paint groups of the royal pets in scenes that told a story. The most famous of these playful paintings is Islay, Tilco, a macaw and two love-birds, the beloved pets of Queen Victoria herself.

This image shows a macaw, new to the royal family but fitting in rather well. The painting is hierarchical; closer to the top represents the animal with the most power. The parrot clearly has the two love birds and Skye terrier, named Islay, completely captivated by the cracker he is holding in his claw. Islay was Victoria's favorite dog at the time and she taught him to beg for treats in this manner. The Sussex spaniel puppy, the mischievous Tilco, is chewing a letter and clearly physically the lowest of the order as he is not even aware of the opportunity above to gain control of the cracker.

During the mid-nineteenth century, in response to Victorian taste, England's art world was experiencing a movement in Realism. The Realists had a way of telling stories through detailed narrative that entertained and paralleled literary style. Sir Edwin Landseer was remarkable at painting such Realist paintings. He had an amazing ability to tell a complicated story without words but instead through paint and canvas. He would either portray a previously told story or make up his own. Sir Edwin Landseer was a very talented animal painter who successfully pulled at the heartstrings of his fellow countrymen through a subject they loved.