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Road through a wood, with figures on horseback and foot
Maker
(artist)
1727-1788
1727-1788
Title
Road through a wood, with figures on horseback and foot
Date of Production
1785 - 1789
Medium
black chalk, brown and grey wash, white impasto oil paint, all covered in varnish on laid paper
Dimensions
Height: 22.1 cm
Width: 30.5 cm
Width: 30.5 cm
Accession Number
D.1952.RW.1681
Mode of Acquisition
Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Label Text
This work demonstrates Gainsborough's keen interest in producing images on paper from the widest possible range of materials, often combining media traditionally categorised separately as 'drawing', 'printmaking' or 'panting'. This image is an experimental combination of drawing and painting media: chalk and inks have been worked over with oil paint and then varnished. When Gainsborough exhibited such works at the Royal Academy in the 1770s they were described in the catalogue as "...landscapes, drawings, in imitation of oil painting."
Notes
Closely related to an aquatint, 'Wooded Landscape with Riders' published by Boydell in 1797 as No. 12 in a series of 12.
Provenance
Holloway [Marseille? according to the BM, his firm carried into the early 20th century by his son, unsure if it continued as long as 1926]; purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, by January 1926 [when published in The Connoisseur] (£15); Witt Bequest 1952
Exhibition History
Thomas Gainsborough, Tate Britain, London, 24/10/2002-19/01/2003
Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999
Thomas Gainsborough, Ferrara & Italy, 07/06/1998-30/08/1998 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/09/1986-30/11/1986; The Drawing Center, New York, 08/04/1986-26/07/1986
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976-78
English Landscape Drawings [catalogue not found], Rye Art Gallery, England, 1971
English Landscape Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/01/1965-01/05/1965
Great art from private colleges and universities, Marquette University, Milwaukee, 20/02/1964-27/02/1964
Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, 17/11/1962-22/12/1962
Landscapes by Thomas Gainsborough, Nottingham University Art Gallery, 01/11/1962-25/11/1962
L'Aquarelle Romantique en France et en Angleterre, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Calais, 29/07/1961-17/09/1961
Old Master Drawings from the Witt Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, 01/09/1960-01/10/1960
Gainsborough drawings, London; York City Art Gallery; four other venues, 1960-61
Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1958-59
Drawings from the Witt Collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art, St James's Square, London; York City Art Gallery; Peterborough Art Gallery, 1953
An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, 20/05/1951-02/06/1951
Three Centuries of British Watercolours and Drawings, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1951
British Painting from Hogarth to Turner, organised by the British Council, Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunstnernes hus, Oslo; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, 1949-50
Old Masters from the Witt Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 01/01/1943-01/05/1943
La peinture anglaise XVIIIe e XIXe siecles, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1938
British country life through the centuries, 39 Grosvenor Square, London, 1937
Twee Eeuwen Engelsche Kunst, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 04/07/1936-04/10/1936
Gainsborough exhibition, Sir Philip Sassoon's house, London, 1936
Bicentenary memorial exhibition of Thomas Gainsborough: illustrating the various periods of his work, also the work of his contemporaries and his influence on the art of his own and later times., Ipswich Museum, 07/10/1927-05/11/1927
Le Paysage Anglais de Gainsborough a Turner, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, February - April 1953 ...Less
Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999
Thomas Gainsborough, Ferrara & Italy, 07/06/1998-30/08/1998 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/09/1986-30/11/1986; The Drawing Center, New York, 08/04/1986-26/07/1986
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976-78
English Landscape Drawings [catalogue not found], Rye Art Gallery, England, 1971
English Landscape Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/01/1965-01/05/1965
Great art from private colleges and universities, Marquette University, Milwaukee, 20/02/1964-27/02/1964
Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, 17/11/1962-22/12/1962
Landscapes by Thomas Gainsborough, Nottingham University Art Gallery, 01/11/1962-25/11/1962
L'Aquarelle Romantique en France et en Angleterre, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Calais, 29/07/1961-17/09/1961
Old Master Drawings from the Witt Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, 01/09/1960-01/10/1960
Gainsborough drawings, London; York City Art Gallery; four other venues, 1960-61
Drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1958-59
Drawings from the Witt Collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art, St James's Square, London; York City Art Gallery; Peterborough Art Gallery, 1953
An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, 20/05/1951-02/06/1951
Three Centuries of British Watercolours and Drawings, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1951
British Painting from Hogarth to Turner, organised by the British Council, Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunstnernes hus, Oslo; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, 1949-50
Old Masters from the Witt Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 01/01/1943-01/05/1943
La peinture anglaise XVIIIe e XIXe siecles, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1938
British country life through the centuries, 39 Grosvenor Square, London, 1937
Twee Eeuwen Engelsche Kunst, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 04/07/1936-04/10/1936
Gainsborough exhibition, Sir Philip Sassoon's house, London, 1936
Bicentenary memorial exhibition of Thomas Gainsborough: illustrating the various periods of his work, also the work of his contemporaries and his influence on the art of his own and later times., Ipswich Museum, 07/10/1927-05/11/1927
Le Paysage Anglais de Gainsborough a Turner, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, February - April 1953 ...Less
Literature
Petherbridge, Deanna, The primacy of drawing: histories and theories of practice, New Haven 2010
fig. 93
Gainsborough, Tate Gallery, 2002
no. 130
Fig. p. 234
Thomas Gainsborough, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, 1998
no. 74 ...More
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 180
Fig. p. 181
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 92
Illus. on p. 209
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 86
Fig. p. 90
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 20
pl. II
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976 - 1978
cat. no. 12
Hayes, John, Gainsborough as printmaker, London 1971
pl. 73
Hayes, John, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, London 1970
no. 724
English Landscape Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1965
cat. no. 9
Anthony Blunt and Philip Troutman, Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, 1962
cat. no. 5
L'Aquarelle Romantique en France et en Angleterre, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Calais, 1961
cat. no. 57
Gainsborough drawings, London; York City Art Gallery; four other venues, 1960-61
cat. no. 48
Old Master Drawings from the Witt Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, 1960
cat. no. 9
Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1958 - 1959
cat. no. 60
Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 21
Drawings from the Witt Collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art, St James's Square, London, York City Art Gallery and Peterborough Art Gallery, 1953
cat. no. 11
Le Paysage Anglais de Gainsborough a Turner, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, February - April 1953
cat. no. 50
no. 50
pl. 11
Three Centuries of British Watercolours and Drawings, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1951
cat. no. 76
Woodall, Mary, Gainsborough's Landscape Drawings, London 1939
no. 372
Siple, E.S., 'Gainsborough Drawings: The Schniewind Collection' in 'The Connoisseur', June 1934
Illus. on p. 352
Baker, C.H. Collins, 'Some Eighteenth-Century Drawings in the Witt Collection' in 'The Connoisseur', January 1926
Illus. on frontispiece ...Less
fig. 93
Gainsborough, Tate Gallery, 2002
no. 130
Fig. p. 234
Thomas Gainsborough, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, 1998
no. 74 ...More
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 180
Fig. p. 181
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 92
Illus. on p. 209
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 86
Fig. p. 90
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 20
pl. II
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976 - 1978
cat. no. 12
Hayes, John, Gainsborough as printmaker, London 1971
pl. 73
Hayes, John, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, London 1970
no. 724
English Landscape Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1965
cat. no. 9
Anthony Blunt and Philip Troutman, Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, 1962
cat. no. 5
L'Aquarelle Romantique en France et en Angleterre, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Calais, 1961
cat. no. 57
Gainsborough drawings, London; York City Art Gallery; four other venues, 1960-61
cat. no. 48
Old Master Drawings from the Witt Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, 1960
cat. no. 9
Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1958 - 1959
cat. no. 60
Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 21
Drawings from the Witt Collection at the Courtauld Institute of Art, St James's Square, London, York City Art Gallery and Peterborough Art Gallery, 1953
cat. no. 11
Le Paysage Anglais de Gainsborough a Turner, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, February - April 1953
cat. no. 50
no. 50
pl. 11
Three Centuries of British Watercolours and Drawings, Arts Council of Great Britain, London, 1951
cat. no. 76
Woodall, Mary, Gainsborough's Landscape Drawings, London 1939
no. 372
Siple, E.S., 'Gainsborough Drawings: The Schniewind Collection' in 'The Connoisseur', June 1934
Illus. on p. 352
Baker, C.H. Collins, 'Some Eighteenth-Century Drawings in the Witt Collection' in 'The Connoisseur', January 1926
Illus. on frontispiece ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermark: none.
Inscription: Verso: centre, graphite: "1".
Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).
Inscription: Verso: centre, graphite: "1".
Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).
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