Imaginary Landscape
Maker
Follower of
(artist)
1727-1788
(draughtsman)
1727-1788
(artist)
1727-1788
(draughtsman)
1727-1788
Title
Imaginary Landscape
Date of Production
Begun in the 1770's and re-worked in the 19th century
Medium
oil on paper on canvas
Dimensions
Height: 33.8 cm (canvas)
Width: 46 cm (canvas)
Width: 46 cm (canvas)
Accession Number
P.1947.LF.156
Mode of Acquisition
Arthur Hamilton Lee, bequest, 1947
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
imagination
Label Text
Landscape scenes like this one are based on Gainsborough’s observation of the countryside in his native Suffolk and in Somerset, where he later settled. However, the artist here amplified the woods and rocks to the degree that they take on a monumental and fanciful quality of their own.
The composition of this imaginary landscape relates to drawings Gainsborough made in the 1770s and 1780s. However, its attribution has been questioned due to the presence of cobalt blue in the sky. This pigment first appeared two decades after Gainsborough’s death. It is therefore likely that a follower reworked a drawing by Gainsborough by adding oil paint in order to turn it into an object for display.
The composition of this imaginary landscape relates to drawings Gainsborough made in the 1770s and 1780s. However, its attribution has been questioned due to the presence of cobalt blue in the sky. This pigment first appeared two decades after Gainsborough’s death. It is therefore likely that a follower reworked a drawing by Gainsborough by adding oil paint in order to turn it into an object for display.
Provenance
Lee Bequest 1947
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