- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- Appledore, from Instow Sands
- Date
- (?) 1800
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 24.5 × 47.2 cm, 9 ⅝ × 18 ½ in
- Inscription
‘Girtin’ lower centre, by Thomas Girtin (the signature has been cut, suggesting that it once extended onto an original mount which has been lost)
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- Coasts and Shipping; The West Country: Devon and Dorset
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1737
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 254 as 'Exmouth'; '1798'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001, 2002 and 2012
Provenance
Probably Rowland Edward Calvert (c.1750–1813); Katherine Calvert (lent to Plymouth, 1821); then by descent; J. Palser & Sons (stock no.17097) as 'Shore Scene, Exmouth'; bought from them by Thos. Agnew & Sons (stock no.7938), 21 February 1913, £105, as 'Mouth of the Exe'; bought by Sir Robert Clermont Witt (1872–1952), 10 March 1914, £155 (lent to London, 1934); bequeathed to the Gallery, 1952
Exhibition History
Plymouth Institution, 1821, no.91 (catalogue untraced); Agnew’s, 1914, no.50 as ’Exmouth’; Tokyo, 1929, no.76; Agnew’s, 1931, no.107; London, 1934b, no.752; Amsterdam, 1936, no.222; Paris, 1938, no.133; Arts Council, 1953a, no.15; Agnew’s, 1953a, no.29 as ’Exmouth’; Arts Council, 1953, no.15; Geneva, 1955, no.69; London, 1958b, no.50; Calais, 1961, no.68; London, 1965b, no.52; Tokyo, 1970, no.76; Rye, 1971, no.23; London, 1973, no.186 as ’Exmouth’; Manchester, 1975, no.36 as ’Appledore, North Devon’; Wellington, 1976, no.35; London, 1979, no.39; London, 1983a, no.91; New York, 1986, no.94; Exeter, 1995, no.24; London, 2002, no.110; London, 2012, no.41
Bibliography
The Connoisseur, vol.55, no.220 (December 1919), p.201; Mayne, 1949, p.107; Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.66, p.68; Herrmann, 2000, p.39
Place depicted
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

A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Kelso Abbey, from the River Tweed
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

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
Formerly titled ‘Exmouth’, this watercolour shows the view across the Torridge estuary from Instow Sands towards the port of Appledore; it was therefore taken from a point seen in On the River Taw, North Devon (TG1736), from where the river is also visible to the left. Girtin visited the north Devon coast in the autumn of 1797 after first staying in Exeter and moving along the south coast of the county. A recently discovered document records that the artist’s brother, John Girtin (1773–1821), sent a £5 note to him at ‘Biddeford’ on 21 November (Smith, 2017–18, pp.35–36; Chancery, Income and Expenses, 1804). This dates Girtin’s visit to nearby Appledore with some precision and suggests that he stayed with Rowland Edward Calvert (c.1750–1813), who was living in Bideford at the time. Calvert, who was the father of the artist Edward Calvert (1799–1883), appears to have been the first owner of this work, and it was he who presumably commissioned the view and encouraged Girtin to explore the area and make sketches, such as The Estuary of the River Taw (TG1281). At the time of Girtin’s visit in 1797, the town was beginning to attract visitors, though poor transport links meant that the coast was not yet a popular destination for tourists, and, if the artist was for once in the vanguard of travellers, then it was almost certainly with the support of a local patron such as Calvert. The sunny disposition of so many of the watercolours that were the outcome of the West Country tour led earlier writers, such as Susan Morris, to assume, not unreasonably, that the artist visited in the summer, but the discovery that Girtin was travelling much later in the year makes his achievement in works such as this all the more remarkable (Morris, 1986, p.21). For it is difficult to imagine a more immediate and lively evocation of a sunny summer’s day on the coast, with the brightly lit buildings and their reflections, sparkling gaily and evoking nothing but the happiest of associations. The untraced pencil sketch, it must be stressed, must have been worked on a day late in November, and the effect conjured up by the artist in the studio was therefore the result of a profound act of the imagination.
However, although logic would suggest that the watercolour was a commission produced in the immediate aftermath of Girtin’s trip to the West Country, and I dated the work in the catalogue of the 2002 Girtin bicentenary exhibition to 1798, now I am not so sure (Smith, 2002b, p.148). Stylistically, it seems closer to the view of Instow and Appledore dated 1800 (TG1736), and even more to the so-called White House at Chelsea (TG1740), than the other coastal scenes that emerged from the 1797 tour (such as TG1251). Moreover, the work is significantly smaller than any of the commissions Girtin is known to have received at this time – indeed, it conforms more closely to the lesser of the two standard formats of the watercolours that Girtin supplied around 1800–1801 to Samuel William Reynolds (1773–1835), who acted on behalf of the artist in his final years in a role somewhere between agent and dealer. The fact that the adjacent view of Instow, the location from which the Appledore scene is taken, was produced in 1800 for Reynolds may therefore be crucial. The evidence is not overwhelming, but I suspect that this work was produced later than has generally been thought, and, though that makes no difference to its qualities or quality, even if it was painted just two years later, that still constitutes a fifth of Girtin’s working life.
On a technical note, the paper historian Peter Bower has identified the support used by Girtin as an off-white coarse laid wrapping paper by an unknown English manufacturer (Smith, 2002b, p.148; Bower, Report). The work’s main distinguishing feature, the bright highlights, was therefore created by leaving an off-white paper untouched, so that it shows up brilliantly by the force of the contrast with the surrounding colours and not by the strength of the local colour of the support; once again, one is reminded of the white house that is not actually white in Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (TG1740). On another point, the manner in which the lower part of the signature has been cut provides good evidence of the way in which the artist presented his work. The watercolour would thus have been surrounded by the artist’s own washline mount, onto which part of his signature must have strayed, so that when the mount was removed, as fashions in the display of watercolours changed, the lower part of the name was lost. The mount must have been an integral part of Girtin’s conception for the watercolour, therefore, and perhaps this encouraged its owner to consign it to the portfolio, which would, in turn, have helped to preserve it in a state that ensures that it continues to provide considerable pleasure in keeping with its subject.
(?) 1800
On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
TG1736
(?) 1797
The Estuary of the River Taw
TG1281
(?) 1800
On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
TG1736
1800
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
TG1740
1797 - 1798
The Coast of Dorset, with Lyme Regis Below
TG1251
1800
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
TG1740