Sellenger

Sellenger 1917-22 by Frederick Landseer Maur Griggs (1876-1938). Etching

In this early trial proof of the final state etching, a figure stands in front of a low stone wall looking towards the entrance to the church, with his back to the viewer. A stone built building with ivy clad gable stands to the right. An ancient stone flagged path leads from the bottom left corner of the composition, skirting a pool. It proceeds to the church entrance. Rafts of sunlight illuminate the scene.

This is one of Grigg’s most romantic etchings which took him six years to perfect. Densely worked shadows, shafts of light and rich textures characterise this composition. Griggs is best known for his architectural etchings. He was one of the first artists at the beginning of the twentieth century to follow Palmer’s meticulous etching style and visionary approach to his subjects. Griggs encouraged fellow artists and students, such as Graham Sutherland, to look at Palmer’s work. In 1926 Griggs and two other printers produced a sensitive reprinting of Palmer’s five surviving etchings on his Dover House Press at Chipping Campden.