SHOEING THE BAY MARE
Original Picture: National Gallery, London,
England.
Artist: Sir Edwin Landseer (lănd´´sēr).
Birthplace: London, England.
Dates: Born, 1802; died, 1873.
Questions to arouse interest. What is the man in this picture doing? How many have watched a blacksmith shoe a horse? Why does he wear an apron made of leather? From what do the sparks fly? What has the blacksmith in his hand? Why do you suppose this horse wears no halter? What other animals do you see in this picture? Which has the larger ears, the donkey or the horse? Which seems to have the softer coat? Which can run the faster? What do you see on the donkey's back? What kind of dog is that in the picture? Why do you suppose the hound is so interested in what the blacksmith is doing? What else can you see in the picture? What makes you think the man is fond of animals? Where is the bird? Why do you like this picture?
The story of the picture. Here in a building that once may have been a home, we see an old-fashioned country blacksmith shop. The wide door has been made in two parts so that the upper part can be swung open to let in the sunlight. The lower part of the doorway remains closed and is just high enough to keep the horse and donkey shut in. But the dog could easily jump over it should he become frightened by the flying sparks of fire.
The smith is trying a shoe on the hind foot of the beautiful horse, but neither the man nor the horse seems quite satisfied with it. The horse has an anxious look in her intelligent eyes as she turns her head to watch the smith. Though she knows he will do the work carefully she cannot help being a little nervous about it. The dog and the donkey are also very much interested in what the smith is doing, though the dog seems ready to run at any moment. Behind the dog we see the blacksmith's anvil on which he hammers the shoe into shape. Every time the hammer strikes the red-hot iron, burning sparks fly in all directions and the blacksmith wears a leather apron, to keep them from burning holes in his clothes.
On the ground beside the blacksmith is a box in which are the tools the smith must use. It has a handle so that the smith may carry it with him and place it within reach when he is fitting the shoe.
Years ago, when the artist painted this picture, a blacksmith had to make each shoe by hand from a bar of iron. Now horseshoes are made rapidly by machinery and the blacksmith gets them from the factory. They are made in all shapes and sizes and the smith will try several shoes until he finds one that fits the horse's hoof. If it needs to be shaped a little he must heat it red hot before he can bend it. He puts it into the great bed of red-hot coals in his forge, and then blows upon the coals with his bellows to make the fire hotter. His heavy iron tongs are used to take the red-hot shoe from the coals and to hold it upon the anvil while he pounds it into shape. Next he drops it into cold water until it is cool enough to try on. The smith must be a strong man to do his work well, and in this picture our attention is drawn to the great muscles on his arms and the firm strength of his large hands.
It takes great skill to drive the nails into the horse's hoof in just such a way that they will hold the shoe firmly and at the same time not hurt the hoof. Sometimes, but not very often, a blacksmith drives a nail in the wrong direction, and the horse becomes lame. Horses grow accustomed to being shod, and seem to like to have comfortable new shoes put on. How glad they must be in the winter to have their hoofs sharp shod, so they do not slip on the ice!
Betty, the bay mare in this picture, liked to be shod, and as she never wore a halter and could go where she pleased, she sometimes went to see the blacksmith. The story is told that one day while she was galloping over the fields one of her shoes became loose. Betty seemed to know just what to do; it was not long before the blacksmith heard a gentle neigh, and there was Betty with her head over the gate, asking to be let in. Once inside she held up the foot with the loose shoe for the blacksmith to fix. You may be sure he patted her velvety neck, and told her that he knew just what the trouble was and would fix her up all right.
The shaggy little donkey you see in the picture had to wait until the blacksmith had attended to Betty. But he did not care about having his shoes fixed anyway, and so did not mind waiting.
The man who owned Betty was Mr. Jacob Bell, and he was so proud of her that he wanted her picture painted. In fact, once when Betty had had a beautiful colt, Mr. Bell asked Sir Edwin Landseer to paint a picture of the two together. But the artist had such a long waiting list of animals to paint that he did not get around to Betty's turn for a long time. Betty had another colt, but it, too, had grown to be as tall as Betty herself before Sir Edwin Landseer at last came out to see her.
He came on the very day that Betty paid her visit to the blacksmith shop, and so it was there that Mr. Bell took the artist to see her. Landseer had planned to paint the horse out in the green fields; but when he saw her in the blacksmith shop, watching every movement of the smith with such perfect understanding in her great, intelligent eyes, he decided to paint her there.
One can see at a glance that this horse is well cared for; her silky coat makes us wish to pet her. Notice the white star-shaped mark on her forehead.
The hound must have followed the horse, for he does not look as if he belonged in the blacksmith shop. He seems to be a little afraid of the hot tongs placed in front of him, and looks as if he might run away the next time the sparks begin to fly.
That sleepy-looking little donkey must belong to some child, for you can see the saddle on his back. Probably some boy will call for him, and ride him home.
Notice how the light comes in through the upper half of the doorway and falls upon the figures. Can you see where the light from the fire in the forge is shining?
We cannot see the bird in the cage hanging from the roof of the blacksmith shop, but no doubt it sang very merrily on the bright sunny day this must have been. The smith has placed its cage a safe distance from the heat, and where it can get plenty of air and sunlight. No doubt they are great friends, but how the bird must wish to try its wings in a long flight up beyond the treetops and into the bright blue sky!
When the shoe is fixed the blacksmith will open the door and Betty will trot home by herself. No wonder Mr. Bell was proud of a horse that knew so much and was so beautiful. Would you not like to have a horse like Betty?
Questions to help the pupil understand the picture. When a horse needs new shoes, where does its owner take it? What is the name of the horse in our picture? Why did Betty come to the blacksmith shop? How did she let the blacksmith know what she wanted? Does she seem pleased with the shoe he is trying on? How can he make it fit? Why does he heat the shoe red hot? Upon what does he place the red-hot shoe to pound it into shape? On the blackboard draw a picture of an anvil. What does the blacksmith use when he blows the coals to make a hotter fire? With what does he hold the hot shoes? Why does he put them in cold water before trying them on? How does he fasten the shoe on the horse's hoof? Why does it not hurt a horse to be shod? What do you see on the donkey's back? Of what is the dog afraid? What does the blacksmith wear to keep the sparks from burning his clothes? Why is that low gate placed in the doorway? To whom did Betty belong? Who came to paint her picture? Why did he paint her in the blacksmith shop? What makes you think she was well cared for? Why do you suppose she is so gentle and patient? Where does the light in the picture come from? Why do you like Betty?
To the Teacher: Have the pupils memorize the following lines from Longfellow's The Village Blacksmith:
And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.
The story of the artist. Sir Edwin Landseer had three sisters and two brothers who liked to draw and paint as well as he did. The father was an artist, and he taught them all how to draw when they were very young.
They lived in the country, and often the father went with his children for a walk through the fields. There were two very large fields separated from each other by a fence with an old-fashioned stile for a gate. This stile had several steps, and was built high so that the sheep and cows could not jump over. One day when Edwin was six years old, and so little that he had to be lifted over this stile, his father tells us that "At his request I lifted him over, and finding a scrap of paper and a pencil in my pocket, I made him sketch a cow." After this Edwin came here nearly every day, and his father called these two fields "Edwin's studio."
When Edwin was only thirteen years old two of his pictures were exhibited at the Royal Academy. One was a portrait of a mule; the other, of a dog and puppies.
Edwin painted always from life, not caring to make copies from the work of others. All the sketches he made when he was a little boy were carefully kept by the father, and now if you go to England you may see them in the South Kensington Museum in London.
Edwin, we are told, was a bright, gentle little boy, with blue eyes and light curly hair. At fourteen years of age he became a pupil at the Royal Academy. The keeper there was an old man who grew very fond of the boy. He would look all about for him, and if he could not find him he would say, "Where is my little dog boy?" At this time Edwin had three dogs of his own, which he called Brutus, Vixen, and Boxer. They were his inseparable companions, and so intelligent that they seemed almost able to speak.
For many years he lived and painted in his father's house in a poor little room without even a carpet. All the furniture, we are told, consisted of three cheap chairs and an easel. Later, he had a fine studio not far from a park. There was a small house and garden here, and the barn was made over into a studio.
Sir Edwin was not a very good business man, and he left the management of all his affairs to his father, who sold his pictures for him and kept his accounts.
Landseer was only sixteen years old when he exhibited his wonderful picture called "Fighting Dogs Getting Wind." A very rich man whose praise meant a great deal at that time bought the picture, and Sir Edwin's success was assured. After that so many people brought their pets for him to paint that he had to keep a list, and each must wait his turn.
It was about this time, too, that he painted an old white horse in the stable of another wealthy man. After the picture was finished, ready to deliver, it suddenly disappeared. Search was made for it everywhere, but it was not found until twenty-four years afterwards. A servant had stolen it and hidden it in a hayloft. He was afraid to sell it, or even to keep it in his home, for every one would recognize the great artist's work.
At the age of twenty-four, Landseer became a member of the Royal Academy, which was an unusual honor for so young a man.
The story is told that at an evening party in the home of a well-known leader of society in London where Landseer was present, the guests had been talking about skill with the hands. One of the guests said that no one had ever been found who could draw two things at once. Landseer remarked, "Oh, I can do that; lend me two pencils, and I will show you."
He then quickly drew the head of a horse with one hand, at the same time drawing a deer's head and antlers with the other hand. Both sketches were so good that they might well have been drawn with the same hand and with much more study.
Landseer made a special study of lions, too, and painted many pictures of them. The great lions at the base of the famous Nelson Monument in Trafalgar Square, London, were modeled by him.
Although Landseer painted so many wild animals, birds, and hunting scenes, he did not care to hunt or shoot. Sometimes he would hire guides to take him into the wildest parts in search of game. But these guides felt thoroughly disgusted with him when, a great wild deer bounding toward them, he would merely make a sketch of it in his book.
Landseer knew how to use a gun, however, and sometimes did use it with great success. But it was the study of live animals that interested him most. He often said that to kill a bird was to lose it.
He believed that animals understand, feel, and reason just like people; so he represented them in his pictures as happy, sad, gay, dignified, frivolous, rich, poor, and in all ways just like human beings.
Landseer did and said all he could against the custom of cutting, or "cropping," the ears of dogs. He said that nature intended to protect the ears of dogs that "dig in the dirt," and man should not interfere. People paid a great deal of attention to what he said, and the custom lost favor.
In 1850 the honor of knighthood was conferred upon Landseer. He was popular alike with patron and peasant, and no English painter has ever been more appreciated in his own country.
Landseer died in London in 1873, at the age of seventy-one.
Questions about the artist. What can you tell about the artist who painted this picture? Where did he live when he was a boy? How many brothers and sisters did he have? Where did they often walk with their father? What separated the two fields? How many of you ever saw a stile? What animal did Edwin sketch first? Where was "Edwin's studio"? What became of the pictures Edwin drew and painted when he was a boy? Tell about the keeper of the Royal Academy and Edwin; tell about Edwin and his picture of an old white horse; tell about his fine new studio. How did Sir Edwin Landseer think animals felt and understood? Tell how he went hunting. How well could he draw with his left hand? Why did people like him? Why do you think he was a great artist?