1797 - 1798
Studies of Goats
TG1518
1795 - 1796
Stags Fighting amongst a Herd of Deer in Windsor Great Park, with the Castle in the Distance
TG1373
1795 - 1796
A Herd of Deer in Richmond Park
TG1374
- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- A Study of a Lion from the Tower of London
- Date
- 1797 - 1798
- Medium and Support
- Graphite on paper
- Dimensions
- 15 × 19 cm, 5 ⅞ × 7 ½ in
- Inscription
‘Girtin - from a Lion in the Tower’ lower right, by Thomas Girtin
- Object Type
- Outline Drawing
- Subject Terms
- Animal Study
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1519
- Description Source(s)
- Auction Catalogue
Provenance
William Henry Millais (1828–99); then by descent; Sotheby’s, 13 July 1995, lot 26, £1,725
Other entries in London and the Home Counties, Together with Miscellaneous Studies and Views
Thomas Girtin
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum
Thomas Girtin
Great Bookham Church, from the East
Great Bookham Church, from the East
Private Collection, Norfolk
Thomas Girtin
Windsor Park and Castle, from Snow Hill
Windsor Park and Castle, from Snow Hill
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire (National Trust)
Thomas Girtin
The Gateway, St Albans Abbey
The Gateway, St Albans Abbey
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Thomas Girtin
St Albans Abbey: The West Porch
St Albans Abbey: The West Porch
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
St Albans Abbey: The West Porch
St Albans Abbey: The West Porch
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
St Albans Abbey, from the North West
St Albans Abbey, from the North West
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
An Interior View of St Albans Abbey, from the Crossing
An Interior View of St Albans Abbey, from the Crossing
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Thomas Girtin
The Interior of St Albans Abbey
The Interior of St Albans Abbey
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Thomas Girtin
Windsor Castle and the Great Park, from the South West
Windsor Castle and the Great Park, from the South West
Private Collection, Norfolk
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Howitt
Windsor Great Park: Herne’s Oak with a Herd of Deer
Windsor Great Park: Herne’s Oak with a Herd of Deer
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Howitt
Stags Fighting amongst a Herd of Deer in Windsor Great Park, with the Castle in the Distance
Stags Fighting amongst a Herd of Deer in Windsor Great Park, with the Castle in the Distance
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Howitt
A Herd of Deer in Richmond Park
A Herd of Deer in Richmond Park
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section One: Somerset House to Blackfriars Bridge
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section One: Somerset House to Blackfriars Bridge
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section Two: The Surrey Bank
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section Two: The Surrey Bank
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section Three: Westminster Bridge to York Stairs
A Panoramic View of the Thames from the Adelphi Terrace, Section Three: Westminster Bridge to York Stairs
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
Westminster, from the West Corner of the Adelphi Terrace
Westminster, from the West Corner of the Adelphi Terrace
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Margaretta Elizabeth Perceval (née Wilson), Lady Arden
The Thames with St Paul's and Blackfriars Bridge
The Thames with St Paul's and Blackfriars Bridge
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
Thomas Girtin
Shipping on the Thames, Looking down Limehouse Reach towards Greenwich, with the Church of St Alfege in the Distance
Shipping on the Thames, Looking down Limehouse Reach towards Greenwich, with the Church of St Alfege in the Distance
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Haystack on a Farm, on the Road to Harrow-on-the-Hill
A Haystack on a Farm, on the Road to Harrow-on-the-Hill
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Panoramic Landscape, near Norwood
A Panoramic Landscape, near Norwood
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
St James’s Park, with Westminster Abbey in the Distance
St James’s Park, with Westminster Abbey in the Distance
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Thomas Girtin
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
St Paul's Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
St Paul's Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
Untraced Works
Thomas Girtin
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Unknown Artist
A River Scene, with Boats
A River Scene, with Boats
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
An Imaginary Coast Scene with the Horizontal Air Mill at Battersea
An Imaginary Coast Scene with the Horizontal Air Mill at Battersea
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
London: The Leathersellers’ Hall
London: The Leathersellers’ Hall
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
London: The Interior of the Ruins of the Leathersellers’ Hall
London: The Interior of the Ruins of the Leathersellers’ Hall
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
Turver’s Farm, Radwinter
Turver’s Farm, Radwinter
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
A Farm with an Unidentified Windmill
A Farm with an Unidentified Windmill
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
Thomas Girtin
Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Barns and a Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Private Collection, Norfolk
Thomas Girtin
Trees and Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Trees and Pond, Said to Be near Bromley
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
A Sandpit, near Logs Hill, Widmore
A Sandpit, near Logs Hill, Widmore
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Sandpit, near Logs Hill, Widmore
A Sandpit, near Logs Hill, Widmore
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Stone-next-Dartford
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Stone-next-Dartford
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
A Farmhouse in a Woodland Setting, Said to Be in Devon
A Farmhouse in a Woodland Setting, Said to Be in Devon
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
Farm Buildings, Probably in Surrey
Farm Buildings, Probably in Surrey
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
John Sell Cotman
Tintern Village, Seen across the Forge Pond, Formerly Known as ‘The Mill-Pond’
Tintern Village, Seen across the Forge Pond, Formerly Known as ‘The Mill-Pond’
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Picturesque House Overlooking a River, with Distant Windmills
A Picturesque House Overlooking a River, with Distant Windmills
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, Bloomington
Thomas Girtin
The West End of an Unidentified Church
The West End of an Unidentified Church
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
Effingham Churchyard, Formerly Known as 'A Country Churchyard'
Effingham Churchyard, Formerly Known as 'A Country Churchyard'
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Thomas Girtin
An Unidentified Windmill, Probably in Lambeth
An Unidentified Windmill, Probably in Lambeth
Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston
Thomas Girtin
Unidentified Buildings, Herne Hill
Unidentified Buildings, Herne Hill
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Thomas Girtin
Study of a Sailor on Board a Ship; A Fishing Boat
Study of a Sailor on Board a Ship; A Fishing Boat
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
The Frozen Watermill, from William Cowper's The Task
The Frozen Watermill, from William Cowper's The Task
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Thomas Girtin
An Unidentified Subject, Probably from James Macpherson’s Poems of Ossian
An Unidentified Subject, Probably from James Macpherson’s Poems of Ossian
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
Thomas Girtin
The Archangel Gabriel Awaiting Night, from John Milton's Paradise Lost
The Archangel Gabriel Awaiting Night, from John Milton's Paradise Lost
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
Portrait Study of a Man, Said to Be the Artist George Barret the Younger
Portrait Study of a Man, Said to Be the Artist George Barret the Younger
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Study of a Lion from the Tower of London
A Study of a Lion from the Tower of London
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
An Open Field with a Cart and Horses, Known as ‘The Carter’
An Open Field with a Cart and Horses, Known as ‘The Carter’
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
A Church Seen across Fields, with Another Sketch Depicting a Woman
A Church Seen across Fields, with Another Sketch Depicting a Woman
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Thomas Girtin
A Landscape with Figures by Railings
A Landscape with Figures by Railings
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Thomas Girtin
Self-Portrait of the Artist at Work
Self-Portrait of the Artist at Work
British Museum, London
William Pearson
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Thomas Girtin
A Cottage and a Windmill Surrounded by Trees
A Cottage and a Windmill Surrounded by Trees
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
St Paul’s Cathedral, from the Thames
St Paul’s Cathedral, from the Thames
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
The Head of a Youth, Here Identified as Joseph Mallord William Turner
The Head of a Youth, Here Identified as Joseph Mallord William Turner
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Thomas Girtin
Old London Bridge, with the Shot Tower in Construction, and St Olave's Church
Old London Bridge, with the Shot Tower in Construction, and St Olave's Church
Private Collection
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About this Work
This study of a lion leaping dramatically towards us is one of two signed sketches of animals on paper of the same size that would otherwise have been difficult to associate with the artist (the other being TG1518). The inscription usefully notes that the drawing was made ‘from a Lion in the Tower’, referring to the fact that the Tower of London was used as a zoo well into the nineteenth century, and it is indeed the only place where the artist might have come across a lion at this date, though Girtin would have had to be very lucky to observe an adult male lion in attack mode. In fact the inscription, which I think is by Girtin, is actually slightly ambiguous as it does not claim that the artist himself witnessed the lion but merely that it came from the Tower, which just about covers the more probable scenario that the image was copied from an artist who had studied the lions there as part of his professional practice as an animal painter, namely Samuel Howitt (1756–1822) (see figure 1 and figure 2). Girtin collaborated with Howitt on the production of at least two watercolours showing deer in the royal parks at Richmond and Windsor (TG1373 and TG1374), with Girtin painting the landscapes and Howitt adding in the animals, and the two artists must have known each other’s work. In this case, I suspect that Girtin based his drawing on a finished watercolour by Howitt and that he adapted the composition to create the improbable and unconvincing image seen here, rather than copying one of Howitt’s on-the-spot sketches; the claim that his drawing was ‘from a Lion in the Tower’ was technically true, therefore, but only at two removes.