Item #114982 A graphic series of four paintings of a kangaroo hunt, conducted by horsemen and a pack of kangaroo dogs. John Eden SAVILL, 'Cerberus'.
A graphic series of four paintings of a kangaroo hunt, conducted by horsemen and a pack of kangaroo dogs
A graphic series of four paintings of a kangaroo hunt, conducted by horsemen and a pack of kangaroo dogs
A graphic series of four paintings of a kangaroo hunt, conducted by horsemen and a pack of kangaroo dogs
SAVILL, John Eden ('Cerberus')

A graphic series of four paintings of a kangaroo hunt, conducted by horsemen and a pack of kangaroo dogs

The uniform series, in watercolour and pencil on brown paper, are matted behind glass in modern frames; visible image size is 240 × 338 mm in all instances. The brown paper has darkened over time, possibly caused by the original card mounts, or exposure to light; apart from a few trifling surface marks to the plain upper portions of two items, and a few tiny light spots (possibly caused by impurities in the old mounts), the paintings are in fine condition. Three of them are signed 'J. Eden Savill' (and two of these are dated 1876); the fourth painting is unsigned.

John Eden Savill (circa 1847-1920) 'was an Englishman who had a short but successful career in South Australia as a racehorse owner and trainer, culminating in his horse winning the 1882 Melbourne Cup.... He arrived in Adelaide sometime before 1871, when he was, as "Cerberus", drawing political cartoons for "The Portonian", a weekly satirical newspaper, and was also exhibiting his artwork.... Shortly after his 1882 triumph with "The Assyrian", Savill and family left for England' and he did not return to Australia (Wikipedia, providing ample substantiation). His identity and activities were not known to Joan Kerr when she published her comprehensive 'Dictionary of Australian Artists' in 1991. That same year, the only example of his work to appear in the even more comprehensive records of Australian art auctions was offered by Christies Australia - in May (unsold at $1500-2000), and again in September, when it sold for $1650, with a reduced estimate of $1000-1500. That painting, 'Australian Kangaroo Hunt', was similar to the least of the four we have for sale; it was also 'pencil and watercolour on brown paper', and virtually the same size. The significant point of difference is that it was signed 'Cerberus'; the catalogue further stated that 'The artist's name is not recorded but "Cerberus" illustrations appear in the South Australian weekly newspaper "The Portonian" circa 1871-79, he is also known to have produced four lithographs after George Hamilton of Australian Bush Subjects'. The recent discovery of this impressive series of accomplished artworks gives John Eden Savill long-overdue credit.

During our research into these works we have discovered serendipitously - and to our astonishment - that the most impressive of the paintings (where the kangaroo is finally at bay, being savaged by one of the dogs, cudgelled by one of the horseman, and about to be hamstrung by another, now dismounted, horseman) was reproduced with very slight artistic license as a full-page wood engraving in the 'Illustrated London News' on 9 September 1876 (page 252, 'Kangaroo-hunting in Australia'). Furthermore, that ILN image was reproduced as a colour lantern slide in the Primus Junior Lecturers' Series (Number 23, 'A Kangaroo Hunt', in the eight-slide boxed set Number 742: 'Our Colonies - Australia', undated, but we suggest the 1890s).

Item #114982

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