This sadly faded watercolour, showing the river Exe at Exeter, is based on a drawing that Girtin made on his West Country tour in the autumn of 1797 (TG1260). The artist is documented as having been in the city in early November, sketching the interior of the cathedral for his earliest patron, the antiquarian and amateur artist James Moore (1762–99) (TG1256) (Chancery, Income and Expenses, 1804).¹ At the same time, Girtin also made a drawing of the sixteenth-century Guildhall (TG1255), as well as a number of views along the river Exe that were to yield two further studio watercolours, Exeter, from Trew’s Weir (TG1258) and Exeter Cathedral, from the South (TG1259). This view of the river from Haven Banks, with the recently completed bridge in the distance and the industrial area of Shilhay on the east bank to the right, is the most panoramic of the compositions, noticeably more so than the sketch on which it is based. In contrast to the focus on the medieval heart of the city that Moore’s commission prompted from Girtin, this work includes a range of warehouses and other industrial buildings, together with their attendant shipping on the river. This creates an image of the modern port that has more in common with the views of Bristol that resulted from the second half of the artist’s West Country tour (such as TG1727) than with the images of south-coast resorts such as Lyme Regis and Teignmouth, which predominated in the first part of the trip.

How soon after the trip this work was produced is difficult to say precisely, especially given its extremely faded condition, which has seen the sky lost completely and the reflections in the large expanse of water in the foreground significantly reduced. Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak dated it to 1799, but it may even be from a little later as the artist added more fugitive pigments into his palette the further he moved away from the influence of his early master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804), whose writings on the watercolour medium illustrate a clear understanding of the science of colour (Dayes, Works, pp.298–300).² How much the work’s poor condition has affected the appearance of the sloop shown to the right of the composition is another matter, however. Girtin may have sketched numerous port scenes on his tour along the Devon and Dorset coasts, but, unlike his contemporary Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), he showed no great interest in the minutiae of maritime scenery, and in this case the form of the vessel is characteristically weak.

1797

The Interior of Exeter Cathedral, Looking from the Nave

TG1256

(?) 1797

The Guildhall, Exeter

TG1255

1798 - 1799

Exeter, from Trew’s Weir

TG1258

1798 - 1799

Exeter Cathedral, from the South

TG1259

1800

Bristol Harbour, with St Mary Redcliffe in the Distance

TG1727