The Lonely Tower, 1879
Samuel Palmerexpand_more
Etchingexpand_more
The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916expand_more P.4,194
Not on Viewexpand_more
Samuel Palmer was a rhapsodic sort who spent his youth in the English countryside absorbed in the writings of Keats, Milton, and Shakespeare, convinced of the mystical perfection of nature. His dreamy vision is evident in these etchings. The Lonely Tower, created to illustrate Milton's poem Il Penseroso, depicts travelers yearning toward a distant tower while an owl passes over the chasm between them. A painstaking printmaker, Palmer worked the plate tirelessly, subjecting it to fourteen separate bitings, or soakings in an acid bath, to etch the lines just so.
Details
- Title
- The Lonely Tower
- Artist Life
- British, 1805–1881
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.4,194
- Provenance
- Frederick Keppel; William Kingston Vickery; William M. Ladd, Portland, sold to Jones; Herschel V. Jones, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 1916.
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Lister E12 vi/vii
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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