- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- Glasgow High Street: Looking towards the Cathedral
- Date
- 1795 - 1796
- Medium and Support
- Graphite, watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 7.7 × 12.1 cm, 3 × 4 ¾ in
- Object Type
- Colour Sketch: Studio Work
- Subject Terms
- Gothic Architecture: Cathedral View; Scottish View
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0364
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in January 2018
Provenance
Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833); his posthumous sale, Christie's, 26 June 1833, lot 81 or 82 as 'Views and ruins, in colours, on cards 10'; bought by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), £8 18s; accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest, 1856
Exhibition History
National Gallery, London, on display up to 1904, no.817f
Bibliography
Finberg, 1909, vol.2, p.1243 as '"Rochester"' by Thomas Girtin; Finberg, 1913, pp.130–31, plate 65b
Place depicted
Other entries in Topography without Travel:
The British Landscape at Second Hand
Thomas Girtin, Jan Peeter Verdussen
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Untraced Works
Thomas Girtin, William Henry Wood
Windsor Castle: The Norman Gateway and the Round Tower, with Part of the Queen's Lodge
Windsor Castle: The Norman Gateway and the Round Tower, with Part of the Queen's Lodge
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
Thomas Girtin, Unknown Artist
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Showing the Choir and North Transept
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Showing the Choir and North Transept
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Thomas Girtin
A View in Windsor Great Park with Deer
A View in Windsor Great Park with Deer
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Looking towards the West Window from the Choir
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Looking towards the West Window from the Choir
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruins of Newark Priory Church
The Ruins of Newark Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Castle and Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Lancaster Castle and Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Barnard Castle and Bridge, from the River Tees
Barnard Castle and Bridge, from the River Tees
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Paul Sandby
The Ruined West Front of Dunbrody Abbey Church, County Wexford, Ireland
The Ruined West Front of Dunbrody Abbey Church, County Wexford, Ireland
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The West Tower of Rumburgh Priory Church
The West Tower of Rumburgh Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Dumbarton Rock, from the North
Dumbarton Rock, from the North
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Kidwelly Church, with the Castle Beyond
Kidwelly Church, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Kelso Abbey, from the North West
Kelso Abbey, from the North West
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep, Portchester Castle, from the North East
The Keep, Portchester Castle, from the North East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Rochester Castle, from the South East
The Keep of Rochester Castle, from the South East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Margam Abbey Church, from the North West
Margam Abbey Church, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruins of the Holy Ghost Chapel, Basingstoke
The Ruins of the Holy Ghost Chapel, Basingstoke
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Part of the Ruins of Lewes Castle, from the West
Part of the Ruins of Lewes Castle, from the West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the East
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Paul Sandby
The South Transept, Much Wenlock Priory Church
The South Transept, Much Wenlock Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Newport Castle, Monmouthshire
Newport Castle, Monmouthshire
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Portchester Castle, from the Outer Bailey
Portchester Castle, from the Outer Bailey
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
An Unidentified Church close to a Road
An Unidentified Church close to a Road
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the South West
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the South West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruined Gateway of Mettingham Castle
The Ruined Gateway of Mettingham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Rochester Castle, Seen from outside the Walls
The Keep of Rochester Castle, Seen from outside the Walls
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
Tintern Abbey, from the River Wye
Tintern Abbey, from the River Wye
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
Tintern Abbey: The View from the Nave
Tintern Abbey: The View from the Nave
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
The Market at Aberystwyth
The Market at Aberystwyth
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Lancaster Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Buttermere Bridge, from the Fish Inn
Buttermere Bridge, from the Fish Inn
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
Private Collection, Norfolk
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Rochester Cathedral, from the North East, with the Castle Beyond
Rochester Cathedral, from the North East, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Glasgow High Street: Looking towards the Cathedral
Glasgow High Street: Looking towards the Cathedral
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Distant View of Corfe Castle
A Distant View of Corfe Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Chichester Cathedral, from the South West
Chichester Cathedral, from the South West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Gatehouse of Amberley Castle
The Gatehouse of Amberley Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
An Unidentified View across a Lake, or along a Coast
An Unidentified View across a Lake, or along a Coast
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Church Tower amongst Trees, with a Cart in the Foreground
A Church Tower amongst Trees, with a Cart in the Foreground
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Trees near a Lake or River, at Twilight
Trees near a Lake or River, at Twilight
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Hilly Landscape, with a Two-Arched Bridge
A Hilly Landscape, with a Two-Arched Bridge
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Distant View of Tynemouth Priory, from the Sea
A Distant View of Tynemouth Priory, from the Sea
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
An Upland Landscape, Possibly in Northumberland
An Upland Landscape, Possibly in Northumberland
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Bridge in the Lake District, Possibly Grange Bridge, Borrowdale
A Bridge in the Lake District, Possibly Grange Bridge, Borrowdale
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
Bridgnorth, on the River Severn
Bridgnorth, on the River Severn
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Knaresborough, from the River Nidd
Knaresborough, from the River Nidd
Private Collection
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About this Work
This informal sketch-like view, looking towards Glasgow Cathedral, is part of a group of small-scale watercolours by Girtin in the Turner Bequest at Tate Britain and it is based on one of the forty or so pencil outlines that are in the same collection (TG0296). Many of these were copied from the sketches of Girtin’s first significant patron, the amateur artist and antiquarian James Moore (1762–99), though in this case the source for the image was an engraving after a watercolour by Thomas Hearne (1744–1817) (see source image TG0296), and Girtin certainly did not visit the site himself. The watercolours, all painted on card measuring roughly 3 × 4 ¾ in (7.6 × 12.1 cm), were produced for Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) around 1795–96, and some sixty ‘Coloured Drawings on Cards’ were sold at his posthumous sale, where a number of examples were purchased by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) (Exhibitons: Christie’s, 7 May 1808, lots 60 and 61; Christie’s, 26 June 1833, lots 80–83). This example is unusual only in the fact that it differs significantly from Girtin’s outline, as it modifies his own drawing, to not particularly good effect, cutting the house to the right and turning it almost at a right angle so that the natural recession is lost.
It is possible that Monro may have had a publication in mind when he commissioned Girtin to produce small-scale watercolours such as this, but their rapid, even careless execution and sketch-like appearance, suggesting that the work was made on the spot, indicate a different kind of commodity. Indeed, the subjects that were chosen for this informal sketch-like treatment do not follow any obvious pattern, either by geography or building type, that might have made for a thematically unified publication. It may be that there is nothing that unites the group other than that Girtin’s outlines after the work of Moore, Hearne and others provided a ready resource from which a different sort of sketch-like watercolour could easily be produced.
The paper is discoloured as a result of excessive exposure to light whilst on long-term exhibition.
1794 - 1795
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
TG0296
1794 - 1795
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
TG0296