- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after (?) James Moore (1762-1799)
- Title
-
- Burnham Abbey
- Date
- 1795 - 1796
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 31.9 × 23.9 cm, 12 ½ × 9 ⅜ in
- Inscription
‘St. Augustine’s Canterbury / 1798 June 27th.’ on the back, not in Thomas Girtin’s hand
- Object Type
- Work after an Amateur Artist
- Subject Terms
- Monastic Ruins; Unidentified Topographical View
-
- Collection
-
- Courtauld Gallery, London
- (D.1967.WS.49)
- Catalogue Number
- TG0300
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 130 as 'St. Augustine's Abbey - Part of the Ruins'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001
Provenance
James Moore (1762–99); his widow, Mary Moore (née Howett) (d.1835); bequeathed to Anne Miller (1802–90); bequeathed to Edward Mansel Miller (1829–1912); bequeathed to Helen Louisa Miller (1842–1915); bought by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960), 1912; sold through the Leicester Galleries, London, November 1912, £50; J. Palser & Sons (stock no.17184); bought by 'Spurries', 20 January 1916; ... J. Palser & Sons (stock no.18415); bought by Victor Rienaecker (1887-1972), 15 December 1921; Fine Art Society, London, 1935; Guy Daniel Harvey-Samuel (1887–1960) (Girtin and Loshak, 1954); Fine Art Society, London, 1960; William Wycliffe Spooner (1882–1967); bequeathed to the Gallery, 1967
Exhibition History
London, 1912, no.36 as ’St. Augustine’s Gateway, Canterbury (1798)’; Palser Gallery, 1914, no.81; Fine Art Society, 1935, no.25; Fine Art Society, 1960, no.34; London, 1968b, no.52; Bath, 1969, no.36; Bristol, 1973, no.31; Wellington, 1976, no.33; London, 1979, no.38; London, 2005, no.51
Bibliography
Davies, 1924, pl.10 as 'St Augustine's Priory, Canterbury'
Place depicted
Other entries in First Steps as a Professional Artist:
James Moore and British Antiquities
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
Newport Museum and Art Gallery
An Interior View of the Ruined East End of Tynemouth Priory Church
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Jedburgh Abbey, from the East
Private Collection
Craigmillar Castle, near Edinburgh
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The West Front of Exeter Cathedral, and St Mary Major
The Mellon Bank Collection, Pittsburgh
Stonehenge during a Thunderstorm
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The East End of Tynemouth Priory Church
Private Collection
Kidwelly Castle
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
Ludlow Castle: The Gatehouse
Private Collection
Dumbarton Rock and the Castle, from the North West
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Jedburgh Abbey, from the East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Interior of the Albion Mills, Southwark, after the Fire
Private Collection
Kinloss Abbey: The Abbot's House
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Conwy Castle, Looking West
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Duff House, from the South
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
An Unidentified Round Tower
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Glasgow Cathedral, from the North East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Part of the Ruins of Alton Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The West Front of Valle Crucis Abbey Church
Private Collection
The Albion Mills, Southwark, after the Fire
Newport Museum and Art Gallery
Bamburgh Castle, from the East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Ruins of the East End of St Andrews Cathedral
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Touchstones Rochdale
Colchester Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Great Keep, Kenilworth Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Castle Rock, Edinburgh
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
London: The Demolition of the Old Porch of the Guildhall
London Metropolitan Archives
The Gatehouse, Denbigh Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Kirkstall Abbey, from the South East
Private Collection
Buildwas Abbey
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
The West Front of Brechin Cathedral, with the Round Tower
Private Collection
The Great Gate, St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Conwy Castle: The Bakehouse Tower
Private Collection
Lindisfarne Priory Church, Looking West from the Choir
Tate, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Tithe Barn at Abbotsbury, with St Catherine's Chapel on the Hill
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Kirkstall Abbey, from the South East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Dunstaffnage Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Spynie Palace, near Elgin
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Dunnottar Castle in a Thunderstorm
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Part of the Ruins of Croxden Abbey, from the East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Great Keep, Kenilworth Castle, with Leicester's Gatehouse in the Distance
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Battle Church, from the South East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The East End of Valle Crucis Abbey Church
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
The Gatehouse, Denbigh Castle
Private Collection
The Ruins of Lewes Castle, from the West
Private Collection
Ewell Church, with a Funeral Procession Approaching
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Rustic Figures in a Landscape, with Pigs
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
St Peter's Church, Bexhill, from the East
Private Collection
Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
A Cow Grazing near a Pond, with a Church Tower Beyond
Private Collection
Duff House, from the River
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
A Landscape with a Shepherd and Flock
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Melrose Abbey, from the South West
Private Collection
A Cottage, Said to Be near Battle in Sussex
Private Collection
Ely Cathedral, from the South East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The East End of Valle Crucis Abbey Church
Private Collection
The East End of Valle Crucis Abbey Church
Private Collection
Lindisfarne Priory Church, Looking West from the Choir
Private Collection, Scotland
Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Pevensey Castle: The North Tower with the Gatehouse in the Distance
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Spire of Salisbury Cathedral, from Chorister's Green
Private Collection
The Landgate, Rye
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Landgate, Rye
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Gatehouse, Saltwood Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Gatehouse, Saltwood Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Strand Gate, Winchelsea
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The West Tower, All Saints' Church, Hastings
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Rochester Castle, from the South
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The West Front of Byland Abbey
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
All Saints' Church, Hastings, from the North East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Kenilworth Castle: The View from the South
Private Collection
Tolleshunt D’Arcy Church
Private Collection
St Peter's Church, Bexhill, from the South East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Ruined Gatehouse, Saltwood Castle, Seen from the North
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Ruined Gatehouse, Pevensey Castle, from the East
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Ruined Gatehouse, Pevensey Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Gatehouse, Battle Abbey
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
Carlisle Cathedral, from the South West
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Gatehouse, Battle Abbey
Private Collection
St Mary the Virgin, Eastbourne
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
An Unidentified Landscape with a Figure Seated on a Gate under a Tree
Private Collection
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Pevensey Castle: View of the North and East Towers
Private Collection
The Ruins of the Great Hall, Kenilworth Castle
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
All Saints' Church, Hastings, from the North West
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Saltwood Castle: The Gatehouse from a Farmyard
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Spynie Palace: A Coastal View
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
St Clement's Church, with Hastings in the Distance
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The East End of the Church of St Thomas, Winchelsea
Private Collection
The East End of the Church of St Thomas, Winchelsea
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The West Tower, St Clement's Church, Hastings; Studies of a Horse in Harness and Numerous Architectural Details
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Undercliff, near Hastings
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Ypres Tower, Rye
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
An Unidentified Village with a Half-Timbered House
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Hastings: The View across the Beach to Castle Hill
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Hastings Castle and Priory Bridge
Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Tolleshunt D’Arcy Church
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Battle Abbey Gatehouse, from the South West
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
St Clement’s Church, Sandwich, from the North
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
St Peter's Church, Bexhill: The West Tower
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Glasgow Cathedral, from the South West
Bolton Museum and Art Gallery
The East End of Icklesham Church
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
The Gatehouse of Beckingham Hall, Tolleshunt Major
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Glamis Castle (Macbeth's Castle)
Private Collection, Norfolk
One of the Alard Monuments in the Church of St Thomas, Winchelsea
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
One of the Alard Monuments in the Church of St Thomas, Winchelsea
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
A Thatched Barn with Farm Animals
Private Collection
A Timber-Frame House with a Hill Beyond
Tate, London
A Farmyard with Pigs Drinking at a Pond
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
A Barn with a Figure, Cattle and Poultry
Courtauld Gallery, London
Malmesbury: The Market Cross
Athelstan Museum, Malmesbury
An Unidentified Country Church and Churchyard
Private Collection, Norfolk
Footnotes
- 1 The inventory, dating from 1852, has been transcribed in full in the Documents section of the Archive (1852 – Item 1).
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About this Work
It is difficult to believe that this image of a modest, medieval ruin would ever have been associated with the great abbey church at Canterbury were it not for the inscription on the back of the drawing, which reads ‘St. Augustine’s Canterbury 1798 June 27th’. This is clearly wrong on two counts. Firstly, the very specific date suggests quite erroneously that the work was produced on the spot and, indeed, 1798 is too late for a watercolour that stylistically is closely related to the works that Girtin produced for his first significant patron, the antiquarian and amateur artist James Moore (1762–99). The watercolour certainly came from Moore’s collection, and we know that he visited Canterbury because he made a sketch of the gateway at St Augustine’s, from which Girtin made another watercolour (TG0140). But there is no evidence that Girtin worked for him after 1796 and even that date seems too late, stylistically, for a watercolour that, like the vast majority of those Girtin made for his patron, was probably painted after a sketch by Moore himself. And, secondly, the substantial ruins of St Augustine’s Priory and its associated monastic buildings were never so overgrown or so deeply embedded within mature trees as the site depicted here and the work no doubt only retained its clearly erroneous title due to a failure to find a credible alternative location.
Fortunately, during the final stages of the preparation of this online catalogue, I was directed to the correct title by Jason McKinstry who identified the subject as Burnham Abbey in Buckinghamshire (email dated 28 May 2022). More specifically, he has identified the ruins in Girtin’s drawing as not being those of the abbey church itself but the frater or refectory, and that they are depicted from the cloister looking north. An etching dated 1787 which adopts the same viewpoint, with the ivy-clad chimney and the gable end combining to the same idiosyncratic effect, confirms McKinstry’s identification of the subject (see figure 1). The abbey was founded as a house of Augustinian Canonesses, but after its dissolution in 1539 the church was demolished and the single-story frater was converted into a domestic hall with the large chimney seen here added to the south side. By the end of the eighteenth century this was likewise in a ruined state, though other parts of the monastic buildings were still in use as a farm which is perhaps hinted at by the inclusion of a pair of enigmatic figures. The seated woman bears a strong resemblance to the shepherdess in the foreground of Chalfont House, from the North West (TG1565), whilst the man, presumably a farmer, appears to have been distracted by a cow in the distance.
It is highly unlikely that Girtin visited Burnham himself, basing his watercolour instead on the work of another artist. Certainly, this would help explain the structural ambiguity of the ruins with the chimney seemingly topping a gable at right angles to the west front whereas the print clearly shows it attached to the south facade. Though it is just possible that Girtin based his work on the print, cutting the composition to the left, adjusting the position of the chimney to fit the vertical format and enriching the foliage to create a more picturesque and enclosed view, the more probable explanation for the structural anomalies seen in the drawing is that he worked from a lost sketch by Moore. His on-the-spot sketches often display a shaky command of perspective which Girtin, knowing no better, was powerless to correct with the result that the buildings in his versions of Moore’s compositions often display similar problems. In this case it seems that Moore himself was unable to identify the subject of his own sketch – it was presumably he who added the inscription on the back – perhaps mistaking the house of Augustinian Canonesses for St. Augustine’s.
There has also been some confusion between this watercolour and the other view of the gateway of St Augustine’s Abbey from the Moore collection (TG0140). Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak listed both works as no.36 in the group of watercolours that the former lent to an exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in 1912 (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.146 and 151; Exhibitions: London, 1912). It is, however, almost certainly this work that appeared at the exhibition and, although it does not appear to have been sold from the Moore family collection after 1912, a view of ‘Burnham’ was listed in an early inventory and there is no doubt that the watercolour was one of over a hundred owned or commissioned by Moore from Girtin during the period 1792–96 (Moore Inventory, 1852).1
1792 - 1793
The Great Gate, St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury
TG0140
(?) 1800
Chalfont House, from the North West
TG1565
1792 - 1793
The Great Gate, St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury
TG0140