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View from Somerset Gardens looking towards London Bridge
Maker
(artist)
1697-1768
1697-1768
Title
View from Somerset Gardens looking towards London Bridge
Date of Production
(circa) 1746 - 1755
Medium
graphite, pen and brown ink, grey wash on laid paper, with grey and brown ink framing lines; a large section at the left centre edge has been excised and replaced; now laid down on Japanese tissue
Dimensions
Height: 23.6 cm
Width: 73.4 cm
Width: 73.4 cm
Accession Number
D.1978.PG.131
Mode of Acquisition
Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
embankments
Label Text
In 1746 Canaletto travelled to England and over the following decade produced a rich record of mid-Georgian London. In this elaborately finished work, drawn as a collector’s item, the city of London is seen from above the terrace of Old Somerset House, designed by Inigo Jones in the 1630s. Stairs lead to the Thames, thronging with river traffic. In the far distance stands Old London Bridge, while St. Paul’s cathedral towers above a skyline dotted with church spires.
Notes
There are other versions by Canaletto of the same view, including paintings at Windsor (RL 7560) and a drawing at Yale (B1977.14.6111), and an engraving after it by Edward Rooker (BM G,6.74)
Provenance
Thomas Moore Slade (1771-1824); his sale, 1801 (£3.9, according to Constable 1927, who tentatively identified it as 'View from the Gardens of Old Somerset House'; the 2012 'Master Drawings' catalogue said sold at Slade's 5 July 1810 sale, but this was only of paintings with nothing matching the subject matter of this drawing); Mrs Heywood Johnstone (d. 1924); her sale, Christie's (London), 20 February 1925, lot 20; purchased there by Ellis and Smith (London) (£2,947); Adrien Fauchier-Magnan (1873-1965); his sale, Sotheby's (London), 4 December 1935, lot 3; purchased there by Count Antoine Seilern (1901-1978); Princes Gate Bequest, 1978
Exhibition History
Drawings Gallery Display - Panorama, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 26/09/2015-10/01/2016
Canaletto and the Conquest of Light, Hotel de Caumont, Aix en Provence, 06/05/2015-13/09/2015
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013 ...More
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012
Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 16/10/1991-19/01/1992
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 17/07/1981-26/01/1982
Italian Art and Britain, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 01/01/1960-01/03/1960 ...Less
Canaletto and the Conquest of Light, Hotel de Caumont, Aix en Provence, 06/05/2015-13/09/2015
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013 ...More
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012
Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 16/10/1991-19/01/1992
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 17/07/1981-26/01/1982
Italian Art and Britain, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 01/01/1960-01/03/1960 ...Less
Literature
Canaletto and the Conquest of Light, Hotel de Caumont, Aix en Provence, 2015
cat. no. 29
pp. 145-46
ill. on p. 145
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
cat. no. 38
pp. 179-83
pp. 180-81
dated c. 1746-55
De l'esprit des villes : Nancy et l'Europe urbaine au siècle des Lumières, 1720-1770, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, 7 May - 22 August 2005
fig. 86 on p. 243 ...More
Material Evidence, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1998-1999
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 19
pp. 46, 175-76
ill. on p. 47
Frances Vivian, Da Raffaello a Canaletto: La Collezione del Console Smith, Grandi disegni italiani dalla Royal Library di Windsor, Milan: Electra 1990 - 202
no. 42
ill. on p. 153
The Consul Smith Collection: Masterpieces of Italian drawing from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle: Raphael to Canaletto, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth Texas; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, 1989-90
p. 151 under no. 42 (p. 153 Italian ed.)
ill. on p. 151
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 168
ill. on p. 169
dated c. 1750
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 65
p. 67
ill. on p. 80
Romanelli, Giandomenico, Alessandro Bettagno et al., Masterpieces of eighteenth-century Venetian drawing, London 1983
p. 148 under nos. 98-9
The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), Courtauld Gallery, London, 1981-1982
cat. no. 129
ill. on p. 92
Canaletto. Disegni- Dipinti- Incisioni, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 1982
p. 48 under no. 54
Canaletto. Paintings & Drawings, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, 1980-81
pp. 73 under no. 38, 113 under no. 86
Constable, W.G., rev. by Links, J.G., Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal 1697-1768, Oxford, 1976
pp. 143n2, 418-19, 421, 528 under no. 745
Seilern, Count Antoine, Corrigenda and Addenda to the Catalogue of paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1971
no. 131
Pignatti, T., Canaletto, Pennsylvania University Press 1970
under note to pl. XLVIII
Christie's, 26 November 1965
under lot 68
Levey, Michael, The later Italian pictures in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen, London 1964
p. 56 under no. 374
fig. 3
Constable, W.G., Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697-1768, Oxford 1962
vol. I, p. 143; vol. II, p. 388 under no. 428, p. 390 under no. 430, p. 528 under no. 745
Canaletto e Guardi, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 1962
p. 36 under no. 40
Seilern, Count Antoine, Italian paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, SW7, London 1959; II
no. 131
pl. XCI
dated c. 1746-50
Parker, K.T., The drawings of Antonio Canaletto, in the Collection of His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle, Oxford and London, 1948
p. 53 under no. 114
Sotheby's (London), Highly important drawings and paintings chiefly of the French and Italian schools of the eighteenth century, 1935 (4 Dec.)
lot 3
ill.
Hadeln, Detlev Baron von, Die Zeichnungen von Antonio Canal, genannt Canaletto, Vienna 1930
pp. 30, 40
Constable, W.G., 'Canaletto in England. Some further works' in 'Burlington Magazine', 1927; L
p. 18
Finberg, Hilda F., 'Canaletto in England: additional illustrations and notes' in 'Walpole Society', 1921-22; X
pp. 76ff ...Less
cat. no. 29
pp. 145-46
ill. on p. 145
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
cat. no. 38
pp. 179-83
pp. 180-81
dated c. 1746-55
De l'esprit des villes : Nancy et l'Europe urbaine au siècle des Lumières, 1720-1770, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy, 7 May - 22 August 2005
fig. 86 on p. 243 ...More
Material Evidence, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1998-1999
Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 19
pp. 46, 175-76
ill. on p. 47
Frances Vivian, Da Raffaello a Canaletto: La Collezione del Console Smith, Grandi disegni italiani dalla Royal Library di Windsor, Milan: Electra 1990 - 202
no. 42
ill. on p. 153
The Consul Smith Collection: Masterpieces of Italian drawing from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle: Raphael to Canaletto, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth Texas; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, 1989-90
p. 151 under no. 42 (p. 153 Italian ed.)
ill. on p. 151
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 168
ill. on p. 169
dated c. 1750
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 65
p. 67
ill. on p. 80
Romanelli, Giandomenico, Alessandro Bettagno et al., Masterpieces of eighteenth-century Venetian drawing, London 1983
p. 148 under nos. 98-9
The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), Courtauld Gallery, London, 1981-1982
cat. no. 129
ill. on p. 92
Canaletto. Disegni- Dipinti- Incisioni, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 1982
p. 48 under no. 54
Canaletto. Paintings & Drawings, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, 1980-81
pp. 73 under no. 38, 113 under no. 86
Constable, W.G., rev. by Links, J.G., Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal 1697-1768, Oxford, 1976
pp. 143n2, 418-19, 421, 528 under no. 745
Seilern, Count Antoine, Corrigenda and Addenda to the Catalogue of paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1971
no. 131
Pignatti, T., Canaletto, Pennsylvania University Press 1970
under note to pl. XLVIII
Christie's, 26 November 1965
under lot 68
Levey, Michael, The later Italian pictures in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen, London 1964
p. 56 under no. 374
fig. 3
Constable, W.G., Canaletto: Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697-1768, Oxford 1962
vol. I, p. 143; vol. II, p. 388 under no. 428, p. 390 under no. 430, p. 528 under no. 745
Canaletto e Guardi, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 1962
p. 36 under no. 40
Seilern, Count Antoine, Italian paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, SW7, London 1959; II
no. 131
pl. XCI
dated c. 1746-50
Parker, K.T., The drawings of Antonio Canaletto, in the Collection of His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle, Oxford and London, 1948
p. 53 under no. 114
Sotheby's (London), Highly important drawings and paintings chiefly of the French and Italian schools of the eighteenth century, 1935 (4 Dec.)
lot 3
ill.
Hadeln, Detlev Baron von, Die Zeichnungen von Antonio Canal, genannt Canaletto, Vienna 1930
pp. 30, 40
Constable, W.G., 'Canaletto in England. Some further works' in 'Burlington Magazine', 1927; L
p. 18
Finberg, Hilda F., 'Canaletto in England: additional illustrations and notes' in 'Walpole Society', 1921-22; X
pp. 76ff ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermark: Recto, upper right edge, fragment: upper half of a Strasburg lily [see tracing in file; literature in file mentions prevalence of this watermark on his papers and therefore signifies that he used paper from Northern Europe throughout his career regardless of his travels]. Transmitted light in the VSC also reveals at the upper left edge another watermark: the bottom edges of two letters cut off.
Inscription: none.
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: none.
Collector's mark: none.
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