- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- Bolton Bridge
- Date
- (?) 1801
- Medium and Support
- Oil on canvas
- Object Type
- Oil painting
- Subject Terms
- River Scenery; Yorkshire View
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1687
- Description Source(s)
- Contemporary Descriptions
Provenance
Thomas Girtin; his posthumous sale, Christie's, 1 June 1803, lot 133 as 'the only picture the ingenious artist ever painted'; sold to 'Girtin', £25 4s, presumably John Girtin (1773–1821)
Exhibition History
Royal Academy, London, 1801, no.20 as ’Bolton Bridge’ (London Courier, 2 May 1801 (repeated in The Star, 2 May 1801; The Sun, 2 May 1801; The Porcupine, 6 May 1801); Oracle and Daily Advertiser, 7 May 1801; Monthly Mirror, June 1801, p.376)
Bibliography
Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.42–43; pp.119–20
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

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
Footnotes
- 1 This important review is transcribed in full in the Documents section of the Archive (1801 – Item 1).
- 2 This important review is transcribed in full in the Documents section of the Archive (1801 – Item 2).
- 3 The details are contained in a letter from Reynolds to Sawrey Gilpin (1733–1807). The letter is transcribed in the Documents section of the Archive (1801 – Item 4).
Revisions & Feedback
The website will be updated from time to time and, when changes are made, a PDF of the previous version of each page will be archived here for consultation and citation.
Please help us to improve this catalogue
If you have information, a correction or any other suggestions to improve this catalogue, please contact us.
About this Work
Girtin’s only documented oil painting was exhibited at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1801 with the title ‘Bolton Bridge’, though it has not been seen in public since his death (Exhibitions: Royal Academy, London, 1801, no.20). Later in the year, the artist stood for election as an Associate Member of the Royal Academy, and, because this was forbidden to ‘Persons who only exhibit Drawings’, it is assumed that his first effort in oils was produced as part of a campaign for membership (Royal Academy General Assembly Minutes, 21 December 1772, quoted in Smith, 2001, p.190). Certainly, Bolton Bridge was not a commission as it appeared in his posthumous sale in 1803 described as ‘the only Picture this ingenious Artist ever painted’ (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 1 June 1803, lot 133). The strategy clearly did not work as Girtin did not receive a single vote in the election in November 1801, and the failure may have hastened the artist’s departure for France, which took place later that month. If the reviews of the work are any guide, then Girtin should not have despaired because one critical notice – repeated in three other newspapers – stated that this ‘landscape is one of the very best works which the present Exhibition contains’, and the same anonymous author specified that its success lay in the way that it ‘is conceived in a style of impressive grandeur, very much in the manner of Wilson, and strongly indicates a genius of the same comprehensive character’ (London Courier, 2 May 1801). 1 The reviews also contained some information on the appearance of the painting, which incorporated a ‘“solemn twilight” [that] is most powerfully imposing’ and where ‘Every thing is absorbed in hue’. ‘The scene is given to us, not such as it is beheld by a common spectator’, added the writer in the Monthly Mirror, ‘but as the eye of a master contemplates it’, and ‘we stand impressed with the stern simplicity of the whole’, though ‘we cannot help regretting the want of some farther particularization of objects in the foreground’ (Monthly Mirror, June 1801).2 The bridge, which still crosses the river Wharfe just over a kilometre south of Bolton Abbey (see figure 1), is a simple two-arched structure and may have been made more attractive to Girtin from the vernacular buildings to one side. If viewed from the south, it might also have included a distant view of Storiths, the eminence seen in the celebrated watercolour (TG1686). However, as is clear from the reviews, the far from exceptional subject was not as important as how it was treated by the artist, and from everything that we know there is no reason to think that Girtin could not have made a highly accomplished painter in oils had he lived longer. It is telling that the same review that likened his work as an oil painter to that of Richard Wilson (1713/14–82) also measured his progress in relation ‘Mr Turner’, referring to his great contemporary Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851). Even in the field of oil painting, therefore, although both artists were of ‘uncommon and surprising merit … In our opinion … Mr. Girtin seems to tread with a firm step in the path which leads to the higher excellencies of the art. He is not less bold in his portraits of nature, and he is more distinct than his ingenious rival’ (London Courier, 2 May 1801).
How frustrating it is, therefore, that Bolton Bridge has not been seen since it was sold in 1803, apparently to the artist’s brother, John Girtin (1773–1821), for the substantial sum of £25 4s (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 1 June 1803, lot 133). Nothing more has been heard of the work thereafter, and Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak concluded that it had been lost in the fire that damaged John Girtin’s house and studio in 1817 and that destroyed much of his property (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.119). The same authors mentioned various possible sightings of the painting, and much space is taken up in the Girtin Archive (27) with efforts to refute the claims of people who thought they had found Girtin’s missing oil, although none of which were deemed serious enough to merit the commissioning of a photograph. There is one final detail worth mentioning, however, and that is that Samuel William Reynolds (1773–1835), who acted on behalf of the artist in his final years in a role somewhere between agent and dealer, included a painting by Girtin in the list of his stock in October 1801, and he valued this at ‘£25’, which is close enough to the price that Bolton Bridge sold for in 1803 to make one wonder whether he owned it at an early point (Reynolds, Letter, 1801).3 Given that the same list also records ‘plates’ after works by Girtin to the value of £112, I suspect that an engraving of the painting might have been amongst them, though nothing has been traced so far.
It is likely that Girtin sketched the subject on an expedition from Harewood House, where he stayed with his patron Edward Lascelles (1764–1814) in the summer of 1800. A few years earlier, the diarist Joseph Farington (1747–1821) described how Lascelles had accompanied John Hoppner (1758–1810) on ‘several excursions to see remarkable places’ in the vicinity, adding that ‘Bolton Bridge is a very picturesque spot’ (Farington, Diary, 14 November 1795). It is possible, therefore, that Girtin painted the oil with the expectation of a sale to his patron, much as Turner had received commissions from Lascelles’ father, the 1st Earl of Harewood (1740–1820), for paintings of other local beauty spots.
1800 - 1801
An Upland Landscape, Identified as Storiths Heights, near Bolton Abbey
TG1686