Thirlmere and Skiddaw, Lake District
Maker
(artist)
1764-1851
1764-1851
Title
Thirlmere and Skiddaw, Lake District
Date of Production
(12 July) 1791
Medium
graphite, pen and grey ink, watercolour, small areas of scraping on two pieces of laid paper joined together and laid down on a historic wash mount
Dimensions
Height: 18.9 cm
Width: 33.2 cm
Width: 33.2 cm
Accession Number
D.1967.WS.2
Mode of Acquisition
William Wycliffe Spooner, bequest, 1967
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Label Text
Abbott’s style, with its flat planes of colour and penned contours, derives from that of his teacher Francis Towne. There is no one spot which exactly affords Abbott’s recorded view in its entirety. It appears to be a composite picture: the mountains in the distance are greatly enlarged, while the dramatic crags on the left are a complete invention. Still with the artist’s original coloured mount, this is one of his earliest surviving drawings.
Provenance
possibly Horace Bernard Milling (1898-1954); by descent to his widow, Mrs Mary Spooner and her second husband, Mr William Wycliffe Spooner, Ilkley (1882-1967); Spooner Bequest 1967
Exhibition History
British Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Huntington Museum and Art Gallery, Los Angeles, 12/02/2005-15/05/2005
British Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Huntington Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 12/02/2005-15/05/2005; Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, 18/07/2005-23/10/2005; Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House, London, 16/11/2005-12/02/2006
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979 ...More
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/05/1977-01/06/1977
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, 11/05/1973-02/06/1973
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner
Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/04/1968-01/07/1968
English Water-Colours: Memorial Exhibition to William Wycliffe
Spooner, Harrogate, 1968 ...Less
British Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Huntington Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 12/02/2005-15/05/2005; Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere, 18/07/2005-23/10/2005; Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House, London, 16/11/2005-12/02/2006
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979 ...More
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/05/1977-01/06/1977
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, 11/05/1973-02/06/1973
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner
Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/04/1968-01/07/1968
English Water-Colours: Memorial Exhibition to William Wycliffe
Spooner, Harrogate, 1968 ...Less
Literature
English Water-Colours: Memorial Exhibition to William Wycliffe Spooner, Harrogate, 1968
cat. no. 24
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 35
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
cat. no. 2 ...More
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 2
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 22
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1977
cat. no. 15
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 31
The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 43
ill. on p. 159 ...Less
cat. no. 24
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 35
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
cat. no. 2 ...More
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 2
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 22
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1977
cat. no. 15
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 31
The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 43
ill. on p. 159 ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermarks: centre: Strasburg lily above “GR”. Support (historic), Verso: centre: “PORTAL BRIDGES” (Portal was a papermarker whose mill was founded in Hampshire in 1712; his heir partnered with a cousin named Bridges).
Inscription: Recto: within the drawing, lower left, pen and grey ink, artist's hand: "Wyburn Lake, Raven Cragg & Skidday - July 1". Mount (historic), Verso: upper left, pen and brown ink: "No. 62"; centre, pen and brown ink, signed and dated by the artist with his monogram: "Thirlmere or Wythburn Lake with Raven Cragg and Saddleback / JWA July 12. 1791"; lower right, pen and blue ink: "4537"; lower right corner, graphite, encircled: "8249".
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: within the drawing, lower left, pen and grey ink, artist's hand: "Wyburn Lake, Raven Cragg & Skidday - July 1". Mount (historic), Verso: upper left, pen and brown ink: "No. 62"; centre, pen and brown ink, signed and dated by the artist with his monogram: "Thirlmere or Wythburn Lake with Raven Cragg and Saddleback / JWA July 12. 1791"; lower right, pen and blue ink: "4537"; lower right corner, graphite, encircled: "8249".
Collector's mark: none.
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