- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- (?) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after (?) Edward Dayes (1763-1804)
- Title
-
- An Upland Landscape with a Rainbow, Said to Be Lowther Fells
- Date
- 1795 - 1796
- Medium and Support
- Watercolour, scratching out and rubbing out on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 22 × 29 cm, 8 ⅝ × 11 ⅜ in
- Inscription
'T Girtin' (partially erased) lower right by (?) Thomas Girtin; ‘Roberts drawing lot 125 May 7th’ on the back
- Object Type
- Monro School Copy
- Subject Terms
- The Lake District
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0160
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in September 2023
Provenance
Thos. Agnew & Sons; Jane Leech (1806–84); then by descent to Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) (Mrs Heelis); distributed by the terms of her will to Kendal Borough Council, 1946
Bibliography
Wilton, 2006, p.59, p.149; Alderson, 2007, p.14
Place depicted
Other entries in Monro School Copies:
British Views, Including Works after the Outlines of John Henderson

An Upland Landscape with a Rainbow, Said to Be Lowther Fells
Kendal Town Hall

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The High Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Dover Castle, Seen from the Beach
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Upland Scene with a Wooded Valley
Leeds University Art Gallery

Unidentified Medieval Ruins, with Agricultural Buildings
Tate, London

A View near Keswick, Probably Bassenthwaite Lake
Private Collection

Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite Lake, from the Vale of Newlands
Private Collection

Looking South into Borrowdale, from the Shore of Derwentwater
Private Collection

Mountainous Landscape, Possibly in the Lake District
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

Boon Crag Cottage, with Coniston Water Beyond
Private Collection

A View in Cumbria, Probably Looking from Irton Fell towards Ravenglass
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A View in Cumbria, Looking towards Irton and the Irish Sea, with the Isle of Man in the Distance
Tate, London

The River Leven, Cumbria, Viewed from Penny Bridge
Tate, London

St John's Vale, Cumbria
Private Collection

The Lodore Falls
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Langdale Pikes
Private Collection

An Unidentified Bridge over a Stream, Possibly in North Wales
Private Collection

Derwentwater, with Skiddaw in the Distance
Eton College, Windsor

Beddgelert Bridge, North Wales
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Overshot Mill
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A Mountainous River Landscape with a Bridge
Private Collection

Cynwyd Mill, near Corwen, North Wales
Brandler Galleries, Brentwood

Conwy: The Town Walls from the South East
Tate, London

Raglan Castle: The Great Hall
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Unidentified Bridge, Possibly in North Wales
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale
Private Collection

An Estuary, Possibly Dartmouth
Private Collection

Grasmere: Looking North West to Helm Crag
Private Collection

The Head of Lake Windermere
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

The Head of Derwentwater, with the Lodore Falls
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Shipping Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Two-Master in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: A Ship Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Boat on the Shore, near Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Fishing Vessels, Their Sails Drying
Tate, London

Shipping in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

A Lake View, Possibly Ullswater
Private Collection

A General View of Dover Harbour, from the East
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Small Boats by the Quay
Tate, London

Boats in Dover Harbour
British Museum, London

A Ship under Repair in Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Figures on a Fishing Vessel in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fishing Vessel with Hastings Beyond
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery

Dover Castle from the Sea
Private Collection

A Beached Vessel in the Inner Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Castle on the Hill
British Museum, London

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels Anchored in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Warehouses with Shipping in Dover Harbour
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels in the Harbour at Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Cliffs Beyond
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart

Vessels Moored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

The Inner Harbour, Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

A Ship Drawn Up on a Beach Being Careened
Private Collection

Beached Fishing Vessels, Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Fishing Vessels in the Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Fishing Boats at Low Tide
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Dover: The Harbour with Vessels
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Smack in Dover Harbour, Drying Sails, with the Old Church in the Distance
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Dover Harbour: A Boat under Repair
Private Collection

Fishing Boats at Low Tide, near Dover
Courtauld Gallery, London

Dover: Two Boatmen Standing by the Prow of a Brig
Private Collection

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fisherman's Cottage, Said to Be at Dover
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Hull of a Ship under Repair, with a Barge and Smaller Boats
Tate, London

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder's Shed, Possibly on the River Medway
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

A Boat-Builder’s Shed, Possibly on the River Medway, with a Fishing Boat with Drying Sails
Tate, London

The Coast, near Dover
The Higgins, Bedford

Folkestone Harbour
Julian Huxley-Parlour Fine Art, London

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
Ulster Museum, Belfast

Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Buildings on a Wooden Quayside
Private Collection

A Coast View with Chalk Cliffs, Probably from near Beachy Head
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Small Boat under Repair by a Jetty
Private Collection

Dover: Snargate Street, Looking West
Private Collection

Dartford High Street
Private Collection

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Rye, from the River Tillingham
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Dover: Fishing Boats at Low Tide
Private Collection

Two Boatmen Caulking the Bows of a Beached Brig, Probably at Dover
Private Collection

Hastings: A Beached Fishing Boat
Private Collection

A Coastal Scene at Dover
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

Mickleham Church
Tate, London

Dolbadarn Castle on Llyn Padarn
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

Conwy Castle, from the East
Huddersfield Art Gallery

Harlech Castle, from the South
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

The Gatehouse, Harlech Castle, Seen from the Moat
Private Collection, Gloucestershire

The High Street at Egham
Private Collection

Boats in Dover Harbour
Leeds Art Gallery

Two Trees Overlooking a Meandering River
Private Collection

A Dilapidated Cottage
Private Collection

Dover: Boats Anchored in the Harbour
Private Collection

A Coastal View near Dover, probably at St Margaret's, Cliffe
Private Collection

Dover: Beached Boats, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour: The Stern of a Large Ship, and Smaller Vessels
Tate, London

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
British Museum, London
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About this Work
This intriguing watercolour, once attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), presents a number of problems that centre around the identification of the subject as Lowther Fells in Cumberland, an area that, despite the arguments of Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak, we now know Girtin did not visit (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.41–42). This did not stop Girtin producing watercolours of a number of views in the Lake District very early in his career, however, when he copied the compositions of his master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804). A pair of views of Lake Windermere (TG0073 and TG0078) was produced around 1791–92 from sketches made by Dayes, who made Lake District scenery an important part of his practice, and it is possible that Girtin’s master provided the model here too. However, the sophisticated means deployed to capture a dramatic moorland scene arguably date from a later part of Girtin’s career and I cannot accept the opinion of Andrew Wilton who introduced me to the work suggesting 1792 for its production (Wilton, 2006, p.59). Whilst it is possible that another artist – such as the amateur Sir George Beaumont (1753–1827), whose sketches formed the basis of seven of Girtin’s Lake District scenes, including Borrowdale (TG1582) and Colwith Force (TG1583) – was involved, it may be that it is the identification of the scene as Lowther Fells that needs to be looked at again. Indeed, there is no specific feature in the mountainous landscape seen here that might pin the location to Lowther, or indeed to the north west of England, as opposed to North Wales, say, and it is not even out of the question that the watercolour is an imaginary composition. The unconvincing way that the waterfall is placed at the centre of the composition, seemingly suspended between two outcrops of rock, is perhaps telling in this respect.
Girtin also produced a number of Lake District views at a later date at the home of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833). Working in collaboration with Turner, Girtin created several hundred copies of the sketches of a number of artists, amateur and professional, primarily John Robert Cozens (1752–97), but also some Lake District views by Dayes, including Legburthwaite Vale (TG0361), which was made by Girtin alone. Unlike the majority of the Monro Lake District views which employ a simple blue/grey palette verging on the monochrome, Girtin at least makes an attempt to capture some of the sublime qualities of the mountainous landscape in the view of the vale but this hardly prepares us for the dramatic exuberance of the work under consideration here. A dark foreground gives way to a rainbow and a distance misty with rainfall in a bravura display of rubbing and scratching out of colour from the paper. The manipulation of the surface through rubbing and drying is something I associate more with Turner and looking at the watercolour for the first time in 2023 after hitherto working solely from an image I was initially taken aback by Wilton’s reattribution of the work to Girtin. This was clearly not a simple case of a drawing by Girtin being subsequently attached to Turner’s name for commercial reasons. The issue is further complicated by the ambiguous nature of the signature/inscription to the lower right of the sheet. It is just about possible to read it as ’T Girtin’, but is this a case of a creative interpretation of marks that were deployed to represent the foliage in that area, or is the inscription semi-legible because there has been an attempt to erase it in order to increase the chance of passing the drawing off as the work of Turner? Given that there has never been a time when there would have been a commercial advantage to add ‘Girtin’ to a Turner drawing, I think that on balance Wilton’s attribution of a very Turner-looking mountain scene to Girtin is correct, though I have added a question mark to his name to indicate that there remains a significant element of doubt about the status of the ‘signature'.
The watercolour was once owned by the writer Beatrix Potter (1866–1943), who recorded in her journal that it was much admired by the great Victorian artist John Millais (1829–96) in 1884, when it was still attributed to Turner (Alderson, 2007, p.14).
1791 - 1792
The View from the Great Boathouse, Lake Windermere
TG0073
1791 - 1792
Lake Windermere and Belle Isle
TG0078
1799 - 1800
Borrowdale
TG1582
1799 - 1800
Colwith Force, on the River Brathay
TG1583
1795 - 1796
Legburthwaite Vale
TG0361