John Dillwyn

LLEWELYN

Rabbit
1850's


It seems a pity that Llewelyn introduced a rabbit, all the more so since (of necessity) It was not real but stuffed. In succumbing to conventional feelings about furry little creatures, he falls short of a bold recorder of unadorned nature like Henry White. The presence of the animal nevertheless brings to mind the work of an artist associated with Pre-Raphaelitism: William J. Webbe (a follower of Holman Hunt). Webbe's 'After Sunset' (VII) also depicts a rabbit alert and bewildered against a backdrop of minutely rendered flowers, leaves and grasses. The painting is replete with a 'Huntian' symbolism, lacking in Llewelyns photograph.