- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- A Distant View of Guisborough Priory; The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
- Date
- 1800 - 1801
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 30.4 × 46.8 cm, 12 × 18 ⅜ in
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- Monastic Ruins; Monastic Ruins; The West Country: Devon and Dorset; Yorkshire View
-
- Collection
-
- Private Collection, Norfolk
- (1-E-27)
- Versions
-
The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
(TG1244)
The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury (TG1245)
The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury (TG1246)
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory (TG1700)
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory (TG1701)
- Catalogue Number
- TG1699
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 452 as 'Guisborough Priory'; '1801 or 1802'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001, 2002 and April 2022
Provenance
Charles James Pooley (1836–1900) (lent to London, 1875); his sale, Christie’s, 6 March 1880, lot 90; bought by Andrew Tucker Squarey (1821–1900), £36 8s (lent to Liverpool, 1886); Christie's, 5 February 1912, lot 36; bought by Leggatt Brothers, London, £5 15s 6d; bought from them by Thos. Agnew & Sons (stock no.7653), 27 February 1912; bought by Sir Hickman Bacon (1855–1945), 1 October 1912, £120; then by descent
Exhibition History
London, 1875, no.22; Liverpool, 1886, no.791; London, 1946, no.97; Arts Council, 1946, no.82; Boston, 1948, no.137; Manchester, 1975, no.93; British Council, 1982, no.30; Nottingham, 1988, pl.1; Tochigi, 1992, no.46; London, 2002, no.174
Bibliography
Mayne, 1949, p.106; Hawcroft, 1962, p.26; Smith, 2002b, p.108; described in Tax-Exempt Heritage Assets list as by 'Thomas Girtin or Follower'
Other entries in Late Watercolours:
Samuel William Reynolds and Painting for the Art Market
An Imaginary City, with Antique Buildings
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
Ancient Ruins, with an Obelisk
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Ancient Ruins, with a Gothic Church
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
A Classical Composition, with a Church and Column
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool
The Arch of Janus, Rome
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Temple of Clitumnus
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Rome: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Rome: The Temple of Saturn, with the Arch of Septimius Severus
Private Collection
A Town on an Estuary
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
A Lagoon Capriccio
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
An Unidentified Coastal Landscape with a Windmill
Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight
Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle
A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Exterior View of the Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory Church
Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland (English Heritage)
Kelso Abbey: The West Front
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
Jedburgh Abbey, from the Riverbank
The Higgins, Bedford
On the River Medway, with a Boatyard, Beached Vessels and Hulks
Private Collection
Bisham Abbey, on the River Thames
Private Collection
A Classical Composition, with Figures Admiring the Sculptures
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
An Unidentified Ruin next to a Bridge over a Stream, Said to Be Furness Abbey
Touchstones Rochdale
The Gatehouse of Morpeth Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Buildings on the River Nidd, near Knaresborough
British Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill
British Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Bridge, Morning
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from the Canal, Evening
Private Collection
A Distant View of Kirkstall Abbey
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead
An Unidentified Scene, Formerly Known as ‘Kirkstall Village’
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Wetherby Bridge and Mills, Looking across the Weir
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
British Museum, London
Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
Leeds Art Gallery
Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
York: The New Walk on the Banks of the River Ouse
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
Private Collection
York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right
Private Collection
A Farmyard with Barns, Ladder and Figures; A Sky Study
Courtauld Gallery, London
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Leeds Art Gallery
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
A Distant View of Ripon Minster, from the River Skell
Private Collection
Ripon Minster, from the South East
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Ripon Minster, from the South West
Private Collection
The Abbey Mill, near Knaresborough
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Mountain Stream in Spate, Possibly the River Wharfe
Private Collection
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church from across the River Wharfe
Eton College, Windsor
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
Leeds Art Gallery
Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection
Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection
The Banks of the River Wharfe, with Bolton Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection
Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Storiths Heights, near Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Richmond Castle, from the River Swale
Leeds Art Gallery
A Farmhouse in Malhamdale, Known as 'Kirkby Priory, near Malham'
British Museum, London
An Ancient Oak, Said to Be on the River Ure
Private Collection
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection, Norfolk
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
Tate, London
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory; The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
Private Collection, Norfolk
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Private Collection
Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Upland Landscape, Said to Show Etal Castle
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The River Tweed at Kelso, Looking Upstream
Courtauld Gallery, London
The Eildon Hills, from the River Tweed
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
A Distant View of Dryburgh Abbey, with the Eildon Hills Beyond
Private Collection
The Valley of the Tweed, with Melrose Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection
Jedburgh Abbey, from Jed Water
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Jedburgh Abbey, from the South East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Village of Jedburgh
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Southampton: The South Gate and Old Gaol
Private Collection
Bristol Harbour, with St Mary Redcliffe in the Distance
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
A Wharf with Shipping, Possibly at Bristol
Art Institute of Chicago
A Rainbow over the River Exe
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
A Rainbow over the River Exe
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
A Rainbow over the River Exe
Graves Gallery, Sheffield
Lydford Castle, from the River Lyd
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
St Vincent’s Rocks and the Avon Gorge
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Conwy Castle, from the River Gyffin
Private Collection, Norfolk
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
Tate, London
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
Private Collection, Norfolk
A Panoramic Landscape, with Figures Trawling a Pond
Private Collection
Landscape with a Distant Ridge, Possibly Hampstead Heath
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Inn Yard, Edgware Road, Paddington
British Museum, London
The Thames from a Window of the Old Toy Inn, Hampton Court
British Museum, London
The Old Cottage, Widmore, near Bromley
British Museum, London
Shipping on the River Medway
Museum of New Zealand, Wellington
A Farmyard with Cattle, Poultry and Labourers Unloading Hay, Possibly Pinkney's Farm, Wimbish
Art Institute of Chicago
Farmhouse and Outbuildings, Possibly in Essex
Aberdeen Art Gallery
An Unidentified Village Street with a Church Tower in the Distance
British Museum, London
A Panoramic Landscape, Possibly Showing Primrose Hill, London
Private Collection
A Mountain Stream with a Watermill and Bridge
Eton College, Windsor
Unidentified Landscape with a Distant Rain Shower
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Warkworth Church, with the Bridge Beyond
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
An Italianate Landscape with Two Monks
Private Collection
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About this Work
This watercolour shows the ruined east end of the priory church of Guisborough in North Yorkshire, seen from the north east with Roseberry Topping in the distance. Girtin appears to have stopped at the site on a trip to visit his patron Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave (1755–1831), at Mulgrave Castle, probably in the summer of 1800, when he sketched the east end from close to (TG1612). He made two major watercolours from this sketch (TG1697 and TG1698), but for this smaller work he located the impressive ruins within a broader landscape setting, which is altogether more typical of his later approach to an antiquarian subject. The attribution of the work, as with an oil painting of this composition (TG1701) and a second watercolour (TG1700), has been questioned, though unlike the others this is entirely without foundation. Thus, although the watercolour has faded somewhat, causing a flattening-out of the foliage in particular, and it seems overworked in places, with areas of crudely applied dark washes, this is not inconsistent with other works of the date that show similar evening twilight effects, where all but a distant eminence is obscured by a crepuscular gloom. Moreover, the attribution to Girtin has been confirmed by the discovery of an unfinished view of the great tithe barn at Abbotsbury in Dorset on the back of the paper, which must predate this work. This and the fact that the images are painted on one of Girtin’s favoured laid wrapping papers therefore means that this unsigned watercolour can be used with some confidence as a standard to judge the authenticity of the disputed versions of the composition.
The view of the tithe barn at Abbotsbury is an unfinished version of a composition that is based on a colour sketch that Girtin executed on his West Country tour in the autumn of 1797 (TG1244). The work was discovered during conservation treatment to remove a backing that had hitherto obscured the image. As the paper historian Peter Bower has noted, Girtin began working on this, his favoured wireside of the paper, where the surface is impressed with the lines of the mould used in its manufacture. He then abandoned the watercolour at an early stage, with just the broadest areas of colour blocked out and other spaces left blank for the later addition of livestock and farm implements. Girtin was presumably unsatisfied with his efforts, and, rather than destroying the work, as the artist is reported to have frequently done, he put the sheet aside only to return to the lightly worked paper and use the smoother side for an unrelated view of Guisborough. Girtin generally mounted his own works with a washline mount, which in this case would have hidden the image of Abbotsbury for almost two hundred years. The unfinished watercolour revealed by conservation work may be slight, but it nonetheless provides important information about the artist’s working methods, though as yet I have not been able to determine precisely what caused him to abandon the original work.
On a technical note, Bower has identified the support used by Girtin as an off-white laid wrapping paper, produced by an unknown English manufacturer (Smith, 2002b, p.225; Bower, Report). The artist employed the same paper for a number of other watercolours, including A Mill in Essex (TG1416), Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley (TG1419), Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill (TG1635) and Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck (TG1694), all of which can be dated to 1799–1800. This suggests that my initial thought that the work was begun following Girtin’s West Country tour in 1797 and that it predates the finished version of the composition now in The Whitworth, Manchester (TG1245), is wrong. A date for both works of around 1800 would seem to be more appropriate, therefore.
(?) 1800
Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
TG1612
1801
Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
TG1697
1801
Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
TG1698
1801 - 1803
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
TG1701
1800 - 1801
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
TG1700
(?) 1797
The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
TG1244
(?) 1799
A Mill in Essex
TG1416
1799 - 1800
Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
TG1419
1800
Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill
TG1635
1800 - 1801
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
TG1694
1797 - 1798
The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
TG1245