1802
Bridgnorth
TG1755
1797 - 1798
An Imaginary Coastal Scene, with the Horizontal Air Mill at Battersea
TG1408
- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- A Windmill by a River
- Date
- 1795 - 1800
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- River Scenery; Wind and Water Mills
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1451
- Description Source(s)
- The original known only from the print
Bibliography
Oppé, 1955, p.395; Wilcox, 1993, pp.16–17; p.58
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
Westminster Abbey, Seen from Green Park and the Queen's Basin
Westminster Abbey, Seen from Green Park and the Queen's Basin
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
A Study of a Woman Reading; A Slight Study of a Seated Woman
A Study of a Woman Reading; A Slight Study of a Seated Woman
Private Collection
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 view of a windmill by a river is known only from an etching, published in 1811, that is inscribed ‘Drawn by T. Girtin’. Given that the original on which the print is based has not otherwise been recorded, it is included here with a significant note of caution. There is thus no proof that the original drawing was by Girtin, and neither is there any indication of how closely the author of the etching, William Pengree Sherlock (1776–c.1851), followed his model, which may have been no more than a small sketch, and it is certainly not possible to give a date for the lost work. Despite this, the etching has featured extensively in the Girtin literature on account of its similarity to landscapes by the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–69), in particular his The Mill (see figure 1), which came to London in 1793 from the collection of Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d’Orléans (1747–93) (Wilcox, 1993, pp.16–17 and 58). Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak were particularly keen to discern the influence of Rembrandt’s deep, sombre colouring on Girtin, suggesting that the personal experience of the artist’s oil panting was the catalyst for late works such as Bridgnorth (TG1755) (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.88–89). Whilst there may be something in this argument, in this case the influence is more likely to have been felt at one remove, and I suspect that Girtin may have known the work through the engraving made by François Dequevauviller (1745–1807) and Jean Mathieu (1749–1815) (see figure 2), which, like the print after Girtin’s lost drawing, reverses Rembrandt’s composition. The crucial point, however, is that the image is far from a straightforward copy, contrary to the way that so many of Girtin’s watercolours closely follow their prototypes in the work of artists from earlier generations. Girtin’s Windmill includes a simpler landscape and a four-square smock mill of the type commonly seen on the banks of the Thames, and its relationship to Rembrandt’s composition is more in the form of an echo or variation on a theme. Though there is no suggestion that the lost drawing depicts an actual view, it may be that as with An Imaginary Coastal Scene, with the Horizontal Air Mill at Battersea (TG1408), Girtin created a suitable setting from a recollection of Rembrandt’s composition for one of the capital’s many mills.