Featured Monkeys Fowling

We bought this in a lot of porcelain. To be fair this was the main reason we bought the lot, but the porcelain has some interesting bits as well.

Wiseheart, 6 Suffolk Street Dublin suggests a date of late 18thC/early 19thC but I would welcome any views on date, together with suggestions for the original artist.

Annoyingly I have been unable to find out more on this.

 

I'd think late 18th c. a bit early for the top hats. Regency, perhaps.

Debora

 

Thanks Debora!

 

Surprised not to find more fairly easily. Suspect these came in sets: Monkeys doing things, maybe all hunting activities; Irish character sketches:



https://www.adams.ie/83615/WISEHEAR...x-265mm-83615?view=lot_detail&auction_no=7052

 

Yes, I thought it would be easy too.

But cannot find another.

Never mind, will keep looking

 

no photo but if you go to #22 - on display 1919 Monkeys Angling Published by Wiseheart.
Maybe from a series of prints https://archive.org/stream/b1456021/b1456021_djvu.txt

 

Thanks CX, that makes sense and confirms that Wiseheart published another in the set.

Curious that there are no image records (until now that is!)

 

You are very welcome rhiwfield! I love this print, will keep looking to see if there is another photo or more information out there

 

J. is for Joseph, by way.

Debora

 

This shows a John Wiseheart at that address as a print and music-seller in an 1830 directory.

https://books.google.com/books?id=I...&q=Wiseheart, 6 Suffolk Street Dublin&f=false

 

I know they are calling them monkeys but it bothers me that their legs bend the wrong way for a monkey. The one on the right almost looks more cat like to me too. Anyway, maybe they just aren't familiar with the anatomy of a monkey (or maybe it's just me)

 

Cats monkeying around while fowling maybe?

The monkeys that were known in Europe at the time were mostly Barbary macaques. Their legs do look a bit like that:


17th Century painting from the studio of David Teniers the younger:

 

So this was 17thC and Meissen monkey band were mid 18thC.

I wonder when these prints went out of fashion, maybe also suggests a late 18thC date?

 

Difficult to say. I think there may have been different dates for different countries.
In the Low Countries, where Teniers was, it was mostly the 17th century. That probably had to do with the fact that they had the most booming economy of Europe at the time, and could import exotic species.
'Singerie' in Europe in general had its heyday in the 18th century, but had a revival in the 19th:

"The Art Experts"() by 19th century Belgian painter Emmanuel Noterman.

 

Thanks AJ.

If the social trends are not conclusive, perhaps we are back to the clothes and, something we have not mentioned, the fowling pieces. Where is a gun expert when you need one

 

This journal is from 1908 & they speak of Wiseheart in the past tense.

 

Thanks Bronwen, I think the earliest reference I saw to Wiseheart at Suffolk st was c1770, so that gives a wide range! Tbh, I cant see a late 19thC date for this

 

British members, help out a Yank: is Wiseheart pronounced Wishart?