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Forest of Radnor, with the Black Mountains in the distance
Maker
(artist)
1739-1816
1739-1816
Title
Forest of Radnor, with the Black Mountains in the distance
Date of Production
1810
Medium
graphite, pen and grey ink, grey and brown washes with some bodycolour on two sheets of wove paper joined together, now laid down on Japanese tissue
Dimensions
Height: 17.2 cm
Width: 50.8 cm
Width: 50.8 cm
Accession Number
D.1967.WS.92
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
The Forest of Radnor, a plateau in mid-Wales used as a royal hunting ground in the medieval period, looms against clouds. Towne rendered the scene with his typically restricted palette of greys, greens and blues. His delineation of form verges on abstraction, with fine detail excised in favour of planes of carefully modulated colour. In order to achieve the long narrow format, Towne joined two sheets of a sketchbook. Late in life he worked exclusively in sketchbooks.
Provenance
bequeathed by the artist to James White, Exeter (1744-1825), on whose death it passed to the artist's residuary legatee, John Herman Merivale (1779-1844); by descent to his granddaughters Maria Sophia Merivale, Oxford (1853-1928) and Judith Ann Merivale, Oxford (1860-1945), May 1915 (as part of a sketchbook); by descent to Mr and Mrs Sutton, New Zealand; purchased from them by the Fine Art Society (London), 19 June 1963 (£3,750, for 17 drawings from the sketchbook); purchased there by Mr and Mrs William Wycliffe Spooner, Ilkley (1882-1967), April 1964 (£600); Spooner Bequest 1967
Exhibition History
Drawings Gallery Display - Panorama, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/09/2015-10/01/2016
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012 ...More
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
Francis Towne, Tate Gallery, London; Leeds City Art Gallery, 24/06/1997-04/04/1998
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
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
Early English water-colours and drawings, Fine Art Society, London, 08/04/1964-25/04/1964 ...Less
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012 ...More
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
Francis Towne, Tate Gallery, London; Leeds City Art Gallery, 24/06/1997-04/04/1998
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
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
Early English water-colours and drawings, Fine Art Society, London, 08/04/1964-25/04/1964 ...Less
Literature
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
pp. 193-97
The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 17
ill. on p. 107
Francis Towne, London and Leeds, 1997-1998
cat. no. 68 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 108
ill. on p. 241
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 'As Spooner collection 90'
no. 94, p. 75
ill. on p. 94
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 27
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976 - 1978
cat. no. 16
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 25
pl. IIb
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 54
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
cat. no. 70
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 20
pl. VIIIb
Oppé, Paul, 'Francis Towne, Landscape Painter' in 'The Walpole Society', London 1920
p. 124n1
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. FT698
ill. ...Less
pp. 193-97
The Spooner Collection of British Watercolours, Courtauld Institute Galleries; Huntington Library; Wordsworth Trust, 2005-06
cat. no. 17
ill. on p. 107
Francis Towne, London and Leeds, 1997-1998
cat. no. 68 ...More
The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 108
ill. on p. 241
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 'As Spooner collection 90'
no. 94, p. 75
ill. on p. 94
English Landscape Drawings and Watercolours, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1979
cat. no. 27
Exhibition of Drawings and Watercolours from the Spooner and Witt Collections, Australia, New Zealand, 1976 - 1978
cat. no. 16
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1974
cat. no. 25
pl. IIb
English Watercolours: The Spooner Collection and Bequest, City Art Gallery, Bristol, 1973
cat. no. 54
Masters of the Watercolour - Watercolours from the Spooner Collection, Holburne Museum of Art, Bath, 1969
cat. no. 70
The William Spooner Collection and Bequest, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1968
cat. no. 20
pl. VIIIb
Oppé, Paul, 'Francis Towne, Landscape Painter' in 'The Walpole Society', London 1920
p. 124n1
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. FT698
ill. ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermarks: repeated at both upper centre left and right edges, cut off: "[...]ATMAN / [...]808".
Inscription: Recto: lower right corner, graphite, erased: “314”. Verso (under Japanese tissue): lower left, brown ink: “The Forest of Radnor the black Mountains in the left hands distance”; below that, on what was the lower right corner of the sheet before joined together, and written again at the lower right corner, brown ink: “3&4”. Mount (removed, cut down and now in file): graphite: “The Forest of Radnor / Black Mountains in the left-hand distance”.
Collector's mark: none.
Label: Removed from a former mount and now in the file: from the Royal Aacademy of Arts, printed in black and filled in with a typewriter: “BICENTENARY EXHIBITION / 1968-1969 / Artist Francis Towne / Title Radnor Forest – watercolour / Owner Courtauld Institute of Art / Serial No. 355”; from the Fine Art Society, printed in black ink, with “6P” in graphite in upper left corner and the rest filled in with a typewriter: “TITLE The Forest at Radnor, the Black / Mountain in the left-hand distance / ARTIST Francis Towne 1740-1816 / No. 7772/7 DATE November 1963”; from the Courtauld, filled in with black ink: “THE NORTHERN LANDSCAPE / Cat. 108 / Towne: Forest at Radnor”.
Inscription: Recto: lower right corner, graphite, erased: “314”. Verso (under Japanese tissue): lower left, brown ink: “The Forest of Radnor the black Mountains in the left hands distance”; below that, on what was the lower right corner of the sheet before joined together, and written again at the lower right corner, brown ink: “3&4”. Mount (removed, cut down and now in file): graphite: “The Forest of Radnor / Black Mountains in the left-hand distance”.
Collector's mark: none.
Label: Removed from a former mount and now in the file: from the Royal Aacademy of Arts, printed in black and filled in with a typewriter: “BICENTENARY EXHIBITION / 1968-1969 / Artist Francis Towne / Title Radnor Forest – watercolour / Owner Courtauld Institute of Art / Serial No. 355”; from the Fine Art Society, printed in black ink, with “6P” in graphite in upper left corner and the rest filled in with a typewriter: “TITLE The Forest at Radnor, the Black / Mountain in the left-hand distance / ARTIST Francis Towne 1740-1816 / No. 7772/7 DATE November 1963”; from the Courtauld, filled in with black ink: “THE NORTHERN LANDSCAPE / Cat. 108 / Towne: Forest at Radnor”.
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