Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak thought that this view of the ruins of Okehampton Castle in Devon was an unfinished studio work and they dated it to 1799 (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.173). However, the rapid, very liquid handling of the washes of colour, the slight level of finish and the restricted palette all relate it to the on-the-spot colour sketches that Girtin executed on his tour of the West Country in the autumn of 1797. The artist’s best-known sketches depict the wide open landscapes of the Devon and Dorset coasts, often employing a suitably panoramic format (see, for example, TG1281 and TG1250), but he also made a series of studies of architectural views in Weymouth and Abbotsbury that display the same stylistic features and characteristic handling shown here (see, for example, TG1241). The way that the ruins to the left are rendered by just a few tones of unmodulated colour and seem to slip out of focus is particularly close to the effect seen in The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury (TG1244), whilst the glimpse of the distant landscape beyond Okehampton resembles areas of the coastal views where the hedge-lined fields create similar distinctive patterns (TG1250). This, then, is the sketch on which a sadly faded studio watercolour is based (TG1278), with a shepherd and his flock added in the foreground. If we need any further proof that the Okehampton sketch is not an unfinished studio work then the absence of any sign of the figure and the animals depicted in TG1278 would clinch the argument. The watercolour of Salisbury that was probably interrupted by his death (TG1756) illustrates how Girtin left areas untouched for the figures that he used to populate his studio works, and these were only filled in towards the end of the production process. If this were an unfinished studio work, therefore, spaces would have been left for the shepherd and his flock, which otherwise would have been spoilt by the ground colour showing through the transparent washes used to flesh out their forms.

We can be confident that Girtin visited Okehampton during his 1797 tour as a result of the recent discovery of a document that has established that the artist was in Exeter in the south of Devon in early November and at Bideford in the north by the end of the month (Chancery, Income and Expenses, 1804).¹ On-the-spot sketches, together with the studio compositions derived from them, suggest that after following the south coast as far as Plymouth, taking in Teignmouth, Starcross, Kingswear, Berry Pomeroy and Totnes on the way, Girtin struck north to Bideford on the road that skirts Dartmoor. Okehampton, at roughly half way, provided a convenient break in the journey, and its picturesquely located castle would have been an obvious subject for a sketch. Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827), who depicted the same view of the castle looking north, with the church tower framed by the ruins (see figure 1), was just one of a number of artists who visited the town, and Girtin no doubt had expectations of finding an order for a watercolour, even if he did not already have a commission. Another artist who sketched the castle was Girtin’s earliest patron, the antiquarian and amateur James Moore (1762–99) (see TG0131 figure 1). Indeed, Girtin himself had painted a view of the castle ruins prior to his 1797 visit, since Moore had commissioned him to realise his own outline drawing as a finished watercolour (TG0131). Not surprisingly, when Girtin visited the site himself, he chose a different viewpoint that placed the ruins in a more extensive landscape, allowing him to display his professional skills more effectively.

(?) 1797

The Estuary of the River Taw

TG1281

(?) 1797

The Coast of Dorset, with Lyme Regis Below

TG1250

(?) 1797

A Street in Weymouth

TG1241

(?) 1797

The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury

TG1244

(?) 1797

The Coast of Dorset, with Lyme Regis Below

TG1250

1799 - 1800

Okehampton Castle

TG1278

1799 - 1800

Okehampton Castle

TG1278

(?) 1802

St Ann’s Gate, Salisbury

TG1756

1792 - 1793

Okehampton Castle

TG0131