Ladies' Bathing Cove, Torquay
Maker
1782-1855
Title
Ladies' Bathing Cove, Torquay
Date of Production
15/04/1854
Accession Number
D.2023.ST.8.1
Mode of Acquisition
gift, 2023
Credit
Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
On display
Label Text
The sixth of twelve children of a prominent Norfolk Quaker family, Richenda Gurney’s artistic talent was encouraged from an early age and she studied with the landscape painter John Crome. This striking watercolour fills the first page of the sketchbook Gurney used on a tour of Devon. An oblong sketchbook would normally be used for horizontally orientated landscapes, but Gurney chose to use hers in a vertical orientation. This emphasises the height of the cliffs surrounding the cove, lending drama to the composition.
The recent expansion of the railway made travel to previously remote areas like Devon more accessible. The presence of a group of tourists – including a woman bent over a drawing board, observing the scene, perhaps a stand-in for Gurney herself – alludes to these changes.
The recent expansion of the railway made travel to previously remote areas like Devon more accessible. The presence of a group of tourists – including a woman bent over a drawing board, observing the scene, perhaps a stand-in for Gurney herself – alludes to these changes.
Provenance
Abbott and Holder, London, by 2023, where acquired by the Spooner Trust. Gifted to The Courtauld in November 2023.
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