- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after James Moore (1762-1799)
- Title
-
- The East End of Tynemouth Priory Church
- Date
- 1792 - 1793
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 14.6 × 10.4 cm, 5 ¾ × 4 ⅛ in
- Inscription
'Tynemouth / Monastery’ on the back
- Object Type
- Work after an Amateur Artist
- Subject Terms
- Durham and Northumberland; Monastic Ruins
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0096
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 28 as 'Tynemouth Priory'
- 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 an unknown purchaser, 1915, £10 10s; ... Spink & Son Ltd, London; Eric H. L. Sexton; a private New England Trust; Christie’s, 7 June 2001, lot *80 as 'Tynemouth Priory, Northumberland', £9,400; Bonhams, 29 July 2020, lot 241, £7,562
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 Museums & 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 Museums & 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

Kenilworth Castle: Seen from the South East
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

Saltwood Castle: The Gatehouse
Private Collection

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

Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate
Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum, Loan from George and Patti White

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 document detailing the payments made to the young Girtin by Moore is transcribed in full in the Documents section of the Archive (1792–93 – Item 1).
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About this Work
This watercolour by Girtin of the ruined east end of the priory church of Tynemouth, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was made after a drawing by the amateur artist and antiquarian James Moore (1762–99) (see source image above), and the artist did not visit the site himself until 1796. Girtin’s earliest patron travelled through Northumberland on the way to Scotland in the late summer of 1792 and his sketch of the ruined church is inscribed ‘East End of Tinmouth Priory 17th Augt’. Girtin is documented as having worked for Moore between October 1792 and February 1793 for a fee of six shillings a day, producing watercolours on paper generally measuring roughly 6 ½ × 8 ½ in (16.5 × 21.5 cm), as here, and it seems likely that he began with the subjects that Moore brought back from his most recent tour (Moore, Payments, 1792–93).1 In all Girtin painted seventy or so small watercolours after Moore’s sketches, including about thirty compositions derived from drawings made on the trip to Scotland. Moore employed other artists, including Girtin’s master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804), to work up his sketches for reproduction, but it seems that the seventeen-year-old artist, who may still have been an apprentice at this date, was tasked with simply producing the best watercolours he could from the little more than functional records produced by the antiquarian. Moore’s collection of watercolours by Girtin, which eventually numbered over a hundred, remained in the ownership of his descendants until it was broken up after 1912, when this work was acquired by a great-grandson of the artist, Thomas Girtin (1874–1960).
In general Girtin made few changes to Moore’s compositions, limiting himself to adding a suitable weather effect and a figure or two. In this case, however, Girtin cut the composition to the right and left, converting the landscape format into an upright view, which has the effect of bringing the ruined fragment closer to the spectator so that it assumes a greater monumentality, though the removal of the landscape setting also means that there is nothing to suggest that the ruin occupies a spectacular coastal site. Cutting off extraneous parts of the ruin, including the stone rood screen to the right, also means that attention is concentrated on the magnificent east end of the church, which dates from around 1190, and Girtin carefully follows Moore’s sketch and partly hides the incongruous extension of the church in the form of the fifteenth-century Percy Chantry. The artist produced a second view of Tynemouth for Moore (TG0083), this time taken from the interior and in a more characteristic landscape format. That work at least includes a reference to the ruin’s setting in the form of a ship to the right.
1792 - 1793
An Interior View of the Ruined East End of Tynemouth Priory Church
TG0083