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In the valley of The Grisons
Maker
(artist)
1739-1816
1739-1816
Title
In the valley of The Grisons
Date of Production
1781
Medium
pen and brown ink, watercolour and gum arabic on laid paper, laid down on artist's mount
Dimensions
Height: 28.8 cm
Width: 46.7 cm
Width: 46.7 cm
Accession Number
D.1967.WS.91
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
In 1781 Francis Towne returned from Italy with John ‘Warwick’ Smith via the Swiss town of Thusis, viewed in this drawing from the west bank of the Hinter Rhein, a tributary of the Rhine. The scene is dominated by the looming mass of the Muttnerhöhe and Muttnerhorn. The words ‘in the morning drawn by Francis Towne on the Spot’ inscribed on the sheet most probably refer to the initial sketch which was later worked up into this finished watercolour.
Notes
From other dated watercolour we know Towne probably drew the initial sketch for this on 30 or 31 August 1781 on his way back from Rome to London. The view is taken from the west bank of the Hinterrein looking south-west towards the town of Thusis in the Graubunden (Grisons) about a mile away. The date on the mount of 1794 shows he mounted it much later after his return home.
Provenance
anonymous sale, Edward Foster & Son (London), 27 July 1910, lot 151; purchased there by Paul Oppé (1878-1957) (25s, part of a group of Towne drawings, now mostly at the Tate); acquired from him in an exchange by Colnaghi (London), 11 December 1947; purchased there by Gilbert Davis (1899-1983), also 11 December 1947 (£120); purchased back from him by Colnaghi (London), 1 June 1954; purchased there by Mr and Mrs William Wycliffe Spooner, Ilkley (1882-1967), also 1 June 1954 (£300); 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
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 16/10/1991-19/01/1992 ...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
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979
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, 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
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
Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1788 ...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
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 16/10/1991-19/01/1992 ...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
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/06/1979-01/09/1979
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, 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
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
Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1788 ...Less
Literature
The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 15
ill. on p. 103
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 70
pp. 148, 194
ill. on p. 149
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 188
ill. on p. 189 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 107
ill. on p. 239
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 29
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1977
cat. no. 12
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 5
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 52
English Water-Colours: Memorial Exhibition to William Wycliffe Spooner, Harrogate, 1968
cat. no. 8
ill. on p. 6
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 17
Bury, Adrian, Francis Towne: Lone star of water-colour painting, London, 1962
p. 150 under 'Spooner''
with incorrect measurements and transcription of inscriptions
Coxe, William, Travels in Switzerland in a series of letters to William Melmouth Esq., London 1789
vol. 3, p. 172
Stephens, Richard, A Catalogue Raisonné of The Works of Francis Towne, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, http://francistowne.ac.uk/collection/home
no. FT361
ill. ...Less
cat. no. 15
ill. on p. 103
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 70
pp. 148, 194
ill. on p. 149
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 188
ill. on p. 189 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 107
ill. on p. 239
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 29
English Landscape Drawing and Watercolours, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1977
cat. no. 12
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 5
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 52
English Water-Colours: Memorial Exhibition to William Wycliffe Spooner, Harrogate, 1968
cat. no. 8
ill. on p. 6
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 17
Bury, Adrian, Francis Towne: Lone star of water-colour painting, London, 1962
p. 150 under 'Spooner''
with incorrect measurements and transcription of inscriptions
Coxe, William, Travels in Switzerland in a series of letters to William Melmouth Esq., London 1789
vol. 3, p. 172
Stephens, Richard, A Catalogue Raisonné of The Works of Francis Towne, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, http://francistowne.ac.uk/collection/home
no. FT361
ill. ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermarks: centre: “C & I HONIG”. Artist’s mount, Verso, right centre: Strasburg lily over filigree “W”; Countermark: left centre: “J WHATMAN / 1794” (drawings of all in the file).
Inscription: Recto: lower centre edge, brown ink, signed and dated: “F. Towne delt / No 19 1781”. Artist’s mount, Verso: upper left corner, graphite, underlined: “7”; lower left corner, brown ink, artist’s hand: “No. 19 / In the Valley of the Grisons looking on [changed from “to”] Tusis [the former two words gone over in a darker brown ink and another section of text after “Tusis” has been rubbed away] / in the morning drawn by Francis Towne on the Spot.”; lower right corner, graphite: “47 / total [?erased and hard to read]” and “151/24”.
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower centre edge, brown ink, signed and dated: “F. Towne delt / No 19 1781”. Artist’s mount, Verso: upper left corner, graphite, underlined: “7”; lower left corner, brown ink, artist’s hand: “No. 19 / In the Valley of the Grisons looking on [changed from “to”] Tusis [the former two words gone over in a darker brown ink and another section of text after “Tusis” has been rubbed away] / in the morning drawn by Francis Towne on the Spot.”; lower right corner, graphite: “47 / total [?erased and hard to read]” and “151/24”.
Collector's mark: none.
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