Between Florence and Arezzo

by-nc

Maker

(artist)

Title

Between Florence and Arezzo

Date of Production

1770

Medium

Pen and grey-black ink, watercolour and opaque watercolour over traces of graphite, with scratching out, on laid paper, unevenly trimmed

Dimensions

Height: 26 cm
Width: 36.8 cm

Object Number

D.2026.MB.16

Mode of Acquisition

Michael Broughton, gift, 2026

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust). Michael Broughton bequest, 2026

Label Text

Very little is known about Mary Mitford, including her life dates. Two of her brothers studied drawing with the artist and travel writer William Gilpin, and she may have trained with him as well. Her work began to emerge on the art market in the late 20th century.

Using the cool, restricted range of colours and the clear outlines characteristic of watercolour in the mid-18th century, her drawings depict sites in England and in Europe. Mitford is not known to have travelled abroad and it has been assumed that her European views, like this Italian landscape, are copies of her teachers’ drawings. However, it is possible that she travelled and made them on the spot. In any case, they show her to be an artist of considerable skill.

Inscriptions

Inscription: Inscribed, verso, "Between Florence & Arezzo / Mary Mitford 1770" (upper centre, graphite, by the artist); "Between Florence & Arezzo" (centre, graphite, very faint); "47" (upper right, graphite, circled); "15031 [crossed out] / 96990 / 2460" (lower right, graphite, all numbers circled); "L / P / M" (lower right, graphite, each with a box to its left, with those for L and M ticked). Historic mount (now removed): Recto: "CLIENT / FAN 697"; verso: lower right, graphite: "697" (enclosed in a square).

Provenance

Bonham's, 15 March 1989, lot number unknown; Abbott & Holder, London; private collection; Abbott & Holder, London, 2018, where acquired by Michael Broughton (1944-2026), Watford; Michael Broughton bequest, 2026

Exhibition History

A View of One's Own, Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760-1860, Courtauld Gallery, London, 28/01/2026-20/05/2026

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