by-nc

Wooded landscape with herdsman, cows and sheep drinking from a pond (recto)

Maker

(artist)
1727-1788

Title

Wooded landscape with herdsman, cows and sheep drinking from a pond (recto)

Date of Production

1784 - 1785? or after 1787?

Medium

black wash and lead white (recto), grey wash on a dry brush (verso) on laid paper [lead white flouresces under UV]

Dimensions

Height: 27.3 cm
Width: 35.2 cm

Accession Number

D.1967.WS.47

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

Towards the end of his life, Gainsborough wrote to a friend of his desire to retire to “some sweet village, where I can paint Landskips”. However, his career kept him in London until his death. He liked to construct imaginary landscapes by grouping small stand-ins, such as coal for rocks and broccoli for trees, in rhythmic compositions. As he described, figures like the herdsman were placed “to create a little business for the eye to be drawn from the trees in order to return to them with more glee”. Landscape drawings offered Gainsborough the chance to explore his love of drawing and of the countryside.

Provenance

probably the artist's sale, Christie's (London), 11 May 1799; purchased there by George Hibbert, London (1757-1837); by descent to Mrs Hibbert; her sale, Robinson & Fisher (London), 29 October 1936, lot 173; purchased there by Thompson; Palser Gallery; Robert Strauss; Fine Art Society (London); purchased there by Mr and Mrs William Wycliffe Spooner, Ilkley (1882-1967), 1961 (£525); 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

Drawings by Thomas Gainsborough, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/02/1996-26/05/1996 ...More

The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974

English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 11/05/1973-02/06/1973

Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner
Collection
, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969

Royal Academy of Arts Bicentenary Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 14/12/1968-02/03/1969

The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/04/1968-01/07/1968

41st Exhibition of Early English water-colours and drawings, Fine Art Society, London, 12/04/1961-29/04/1961 ...Less

Literature

Belsey, Hugh, 'A Second Supplement to John Hayes's "The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough"' in 'Master Drawings', Winter 2008 - 427-541; 46, no. 4
no. 512

The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 10
ill. on p. 93

Hayes, John, The Landscape paintings of Thomas Gainsborough, London, 1982
vol. II, p. 534 under no. 158 ...More

The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 13

English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 27

Hayes, John, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, London 1970
no. 512 and on p. 40
pl. 164

Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
cat. no. 32

The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 30

Woodall, Mary, Gainsborough's Landscape Drawings, London 1939
no. 256 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Recto, left of centre: " I. TAYLOR" (see Notes, apparently paper made by John Taylor no earlier than 1787).

Inscription: none.

Collector's mark: none.

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