Four Wheel Chaise (April 10, 1785, Met-Objekt 6062)
Original title: Four Wheel Chaise
kurzbeschreibung
A horse-drawn carriage rolls along a country road in Thomas Rowlandson's etching Four Wheel Chaise, dated April 10, 1785. The print takes up the travelling motif of the late eighteenth century and is executed as an etching with stipple.
Description
A horse pulls the four-seat carriage, with a coachman steering from the box. Beside the vehicle a figure rides on horseback, and further back a second rider follows. Trees line the road, which winds into the distance. Fine, varied hatching models textures and shadows in the black-and-white image.
Context
The etching was published in London on April 10, 1785, by J. H. Smith in Oxford Street. Rowlandson was working at a time when travel caricatures and street scenes were in demand. The carriage points to mobility and social change at the end of the eighteenth century. The sheet belongs to his extensive graphic work, known for satirical and humorous observation.
Impact
A calm, rural mood emanates from the print, which appears detailed through precise linework. Movement and still landscape are combined so that a lively yet orderly pictorial effect emerges.
Technique
Etching with stipple creates tonal values through fine dots and lines. This allows light and shadow to be softly graduated, which supports the plastic effect of figures and landscape. It was printed on paper; trimmed, the sheet measures 12.3 × 19.4 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)