- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- Morpeth Bridge
- Date
- (?) 1802
- Medium and Support
- Graphite, watercolour and pen and ink on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 32.1 × 52.9 cm, 12 ⅝ × 20 ⅞ in
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- Durham and Northumberland; River Scenery; The Country Town
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1709
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 489iii
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001 and 2002
Provenance
William Wells of Redleaf (1768–1847) (lent to SPWC, 1823); his posthumous sale, Christie’s, 22 January 1857, lot 281; bought by 'Bale', £32 11s; Charles Sackville Bale (1791–1880) (lent to London, 1875); his posthumous sale, Christie’s, 13 May 1881, lot 88; bought by 'Palser', £115 10s; J. Palser & Sons; bought by Edward Cohen (1817–86); then by bequest to his niece, Annie Sophia Poulter (c.1846–1924); then by descent to Edward Alexander Poulter (1883–1973); J. Palser & Sons; bought by Francis Watkins Keen (c.1864–1933), 8 February 1927; his posthumous sale, Christie’s, 10 November 1933, lot 119, £325 10s; the Palser Gallery, London; Norman Dakeyne Newall (1888–1952); his widow, Leslia Newall (d.1979) (lent to Newcastle, 1953); Christie’s, 13 December 1979, no.40; bought by the Museum, £70,000
Exhibition History
SPWC, 1823, no.47 as ’Morpeth’; London, 1875, no.109 'Said to be the last drawing made by the Artist'; Palser Gallery, 1932b, no.90; Palser Gallery, 1933, no.46; Amsterdam, 1936, no.221; Newcastle, 1953, no.29; Agnew’s, 1953a, no.69; Newcastle, 1982, no.89; London, 1993, no.154; Newcastle, 1993, no.31; London, 1998a, no.220; London, 2002, no.181
Bibliography
Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.85–87; Hardie, 1966–68, vol.2, p.18; Holcomb, 1974, p.31, p.53; Morris, 1987b, p.19; Bauer, 1998, p.69
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 The work is the subject of an excellent blog, ‘Better than JMW Turner? Thomas Girtin’s Morpeth Bridge watercolour’ posted by the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.
- 2 Details are transcribed in the Documents section of the Archive (1804 – Item 1).
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About this Work
This is one of three similar watercolours that show the same view of the coaching town of Morpeth in Northumberland, which Girtin probably visited in 1800, on his way to or from the Scottish Borders (the others being TG1707 and TG1708). The view shows the ancient bridge from the south bank of the river Wansbeck, the piers of which still exist after the structure was partially dismantled in 1834, whilst the belfry seen to the left is part of the still extant chantry chapel.1 Apart from this and the gatehouse of the castle, which was the subject of another watercolour by Girtin (TG1540), Morpeth was ‘remarkable for nothing’, as one writer put it (Michell, 1845, p.188). However, perhaps as with the similar market town of Wetherby (TG1643), further south in Yorkshire, that was the point, since the subjects of Girtin’s later watercolours were increasingly taken from less well-known sites. In this case, as with Wetherby, the visit did not need a detour as the town was on a major coaching route, and Girtin’s untraced sketches may have been made during a break in his journey; this is perhaps alluded to in the inclusion of horses being watered in all three works. The crucial issue here is that the artist was able at this point in his career to find three customers for a composition that has no particular topographical or architectural interest, but where its basic components – a picturesque assemblage of buildings, an ancient bridge, a busy sky and a flat surface of water to mirror their reflections – combine to form an effective vehicle for the demonstration of Girtin’s skill. If this was the case, it was not that the subject was commonplace or typical that governed its choice, so much that anywhere with the right combination of elements might do equally.
The watercolour has survived in exceptionally good condition for a late work by Girtin, with the deep blues in the sky and their reflection in the river, the olive greens of the vegetation, and the spacious greys of the clouds all standing fast to give us a good idea of the original appearance of so many other faded examples from the last years of the artist’s life. Not surprisingly, the watercolour has attracted a good deal of praise, and rightly so because it is one of the artist’s finest achievements, and I am envious of writers such as Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak who found the words to convey something of the work’s beauties. However, I have always felt a strong resistance to the kind of writing that has arguably become redundant as a result of the high quality of modern colour reproductions, and this is only doubled in this case by the authors’ attempt to use the Morpeth view to characterise Girtin’s ‘final phase’. This, they argued, was marked by a triumphant combination of a ‘dramatic, perhaps even tragic’ sense of his own mortality, and a mastery of formal means that resulted in a transcendental ‘abstract quality’ (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.85–87). Likewise, I instinctively questioned the authors’ dating of the watercolour to Girtin’s last year, 1802, on the basis that they do not advance any evidence other than a strong sense that such a fine and dramatic vision ought to have been amongst his last works. Until recently, I was therefore minded to date this view of Morpeth Bridge to 1800–1801, on the grounds that it may have been supplied 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, and who sold it to the first known owner, William Wells (1768–1847) of Redleaf in Kent. However, the recent discovery of the accounts of the artist’s brother, John Girtin (1773–1821), which includes the record of a receipt from ‘Mr Wells’ for eight guineas, dated 13 December 1802 – that is, a few weeks after the artist’s death – has changed my mind (Chancery, Income and Expenses, 1804).2 Wells’ collection included one work by Girtin that is actually dated 1802, Sandsend (TG1702), but the sum of eight guineas could equally relate to this depiction of Morpeth, which might therefore have been one of the works appropriated by John Girtin from the artist’s studio as a way of settling the substantial loans he had extended to his brother during his life (Smith, 2017–18, pp.35–36). Girtin only occupied his last studio, on The Strand, for six months or so, and it is not unreasonable to expect that any work taken by John from there was completed in the artist’s last year. There is therefore a good case to be made that this is indeed one of the few watercolours completed after his return from France, in April or May of 1802.
1800 - 1801
Morpeth Bridge
TG1707
1800 - 1801
Morpeth Bridge
TG1708
(?) 1800
The Gatehouse of Morpeth Castle
TG1540
(?) 1800
Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
TG1643
1802
Sandsend
TG1702