- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after (?) Edward Dayes (1763-1804)
- Title
-
- The Gatehouse, Harlech Castle, Seen from the Moat
- Date
- 1795 - 1796
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 19 × 27.5 cm, 7 ½ × 10 ⅞ in
- Subject Terms
- North Wales; Castle Ruins
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0926a
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in July 2024
Provenance
Spink & Son Ltd, London (K3/1685); John Richards of Gawsworth Hall; bought by Derek Lockett (d.1993), 25 April 1984; Reeds & Rains, Manchester, 20 July 1984, lot 95 as by Joseph Mallord Willian Turner; Partridge, 3 July 2024, lot 690 as 'Attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner'; bought for £800
Bibliography
Wilton, 1984a, p.19 as by Thomas Girtin
Place depicted
Other entries in Monro School Copies:
British Views, Including Works after the Outlines of John Henderson

An Upland Landscape with a Rainbow, Said to Be Lowther Fells
Kendal Town Hall

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The High Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Dover Castle, Seen from the Beach
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Upland Scene with a Wooded Valley
Leeds University Art Gallery

Unidentified Medieval Ruins, with Agricultural Buildings
Tate, London

A View near Keswick, Probably Bassenthwaite Lake
Private Collection

Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite Lake, from the Vale of Newlands
Private Collection

Looking South into Borrowdale, from the Shore of Derwentwater
Private Collection

Mountainous Landscape, Possibly in the Lake District
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

Boon Crag Cottage, with Coniston Water Beyond
Private Collection

A View in Cumbria, Probably Looking from Irton Fell towards Ravenglass
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A View in Cumbria, Looking towards Irton and the Irish Sea, with the Isle of Man in the Distance
Tate, London

The River Leven, Cumbria, Viewed from Penny Bridge
Tate, London

St John's Vale, Cumbria
Private Collection

The Lodore Falls
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Langdale Pikes
Private Collection

An Unidentified Bridge over a Stream, Possibly in North Wales
Private Collection

Derwentwater, with Skiddaw in the Distance
Eton College, Windsor

Beddgelert Bridge, North Wales
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Overshot Mill
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A Mountainous River Landscape with a Bridge
Private Collection

Cynwyd Mill, near Corwen, North Wales
Brandler Galleries, Brentwood

Conwy: The Town Walls from the South East
Tate, London

Raglan Castle: The Great Hall
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Unidentified Bridge, Possibly in North Wales
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale
Private Collection

An Estuary, Possibly Dartmouth
Private Collection

Grasmere: Looking North West to Helm Crag
Private Collection

The Head of Lake Windermere
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

The Head of Derwentwater, with the Lodore Falls
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Shipping Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Two-Master in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: A Ship Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Boat on the Shore, near Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Fishing Vessels, Their Sails Drying
Tate, London

Shipping in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

A Lake View, Possibly Ullswater
Private Collection

A General View of Dover Harbour, from the East
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Small Boats by the Quay
Tate, London

Boats in Dover Harbour
British Museum, London

A Ship under Repair in Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Figures on a Fishing Vessel in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fishing Vessel with Hastings Beyond
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery

Dover Castle from the Sea
Private Collection

A Beached Vessel in the Inner Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Castle on the Hill
British Museum, London

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels Anchored in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Warehouses with Shipping in Dover Harbour
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels in the Harbour at Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Cliffs Beyond
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart

Vessels Moored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

The Inner Harbour, Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

A Ship Drawn Up on a Beach Being Careened
Private Collection

Beached Fishing Vessels, Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Fishing Vessels in the Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Fishing Boats at Low Tide
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Dover: The Harbour with Vessels
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Smack in Dover Harbour, Drying Sails, with the Old Church in the Distance
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Dover Harbour: A Boat under Repair
Private Collection

Fishing Boats at Low Tide, near Dover
Courtauld Gallery, London

Dover: Two Boatmen Standing by the Prow of a Brig
Private Collection

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fisherman's Cottage, Said to Be at Dover
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Hull of a Ship under Repair, with a Barge and Smaller Boats
Tate, London

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder's Shed, Possibly on the River Medway
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

A Boat-Builder’s Shed, Possibly on the River Medway, with a Fishing Boat with Drying Sails
Tate, London

The Coast, near Dover
The Higgins, Bedford

Folkestone Harbour
Julian Huxley-Parlour Fine Art, London

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
Ulster Museum, Belfast

Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Buildings on a Wooden Quayside
Private Collection

A Coast View with Chalk Cliffs, Probably from near Beachy Head
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Small Boat under Repair by a Jetty
Private Collection

Dover: Snargate Street, Looking West
Private Collection

Dartford High Street
Private Collection

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Rye, from the River Tillingham
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Dover: Fishing Boats at Low Tide
Private Collection

Two Boatmen Caulking the Bows of a Beached Brig, Probably at Dover
Private Collection

Hastings: A Beached Fishing Boat
Private Collection

A Coastal Scene at Dover
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

Mickleham Church
Tate, London

Dolbadarn Castle on Llyn Padarn
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

Conwy Castle, from the East
Huddersfield Art Gallery

Harlech Castle, from the South
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

The Gatehouse, Harlech Castle, Seen from the Moat
Private Collection, Gloucestershire

The High Street at Egham
Private Collection

Boats in Dover Harbour
Leeds Art Gallery

Two Trees Overlooking a Meandering River
Private Collection

A Dilapidated Cottage
Private Collection

Dover: Boats Anchored in the Harbour
Private Collection

A Coastal View near Dover, probably at St Margaret's, Cliffe
Private Collection

Dover: Beached Boats, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour: The Stern of a Large Ship, and Smaller Vessels
Tate, London

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
British Museum, London
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About this Work
This view of Harlech Castle, showing the gatehouse from the moat, was long attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), but Andrew Wilton in his groundbreaking article on the Monro School argued that it is not one of the numerous collaborations that resulted from the patronage of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) but is by Girtin alone and that it is therefore a characteristic ‘example of Girtin’s summary, “blocked-in” technique’ (Wilton, 1984a, p.19). The work was not illustrated in Wilton’s article and only now with its reappearance at auction has it been possible to confirm the attribution to Girtin (Partridge, 3 July 2024, lot 690). The underlying pencil work, displaying a wide range of textures and inventive touches, is clearly by Girtin whilst the monochrome washes, applied with a broad and fluent brushstroke, do indeed display the ‘summary’ and ‘blocked-in’ technique identified by Wilton as being quite distinct from Turner’s use of smaller touches of colour. The catalogue of Monro’s posthumous sale lists a large number of works by Girtin many of which were copied after other artists, including twenty-three ‘Views in Italy’. These have proved very elusive and so far just The View towards Salerno from the Road to Eboli (TG0735) and Vallombrosa Abbey (TG0669) have been definitively identified and so this view of Harlech is of some significance as an unaccountably rare example of Girtin being responsible for both the pencil work and the monochrome washes in a Monro School copy
The status of the work as a copy is reasonably clearcut for whilst Girtin visited Harlech in the summer of 1798 and executed a large coloured sketch of the castle on the spot (TG1318), the smaller monochrome appears to be a studio work dating from a few years earlier. The subdued palette and the detailed pencil work are certainly uncharacteristic of the artist’s later approach to working on the spot, begging the question of who was Girtin’s model. The obvious answer would be Girtin’s teacher Edward Dayes (1763–1804) whose sketches were very well represented in the sale of Monro’s collection in 1833, including at least seven Welsh views. Even though it has not been possible to trace any of Dayes’ sketches of Harlech, a drawing made on one of his trips to North Wales is still the likeliest source for Girtin. In general I have avoided dating the Monro School drawings, grouping them together as 1794–97, but in this case I think it is possible to be more specific. The close and low viewpoint of the castle seen from the moat results in a monumental composition that recalls that of The Gatehouse, Newark Castle (TG0320). This dates from around 1795 and was no doubt based on a sketch similar to another view of Newark (TG0102) that Girtin made on his visit to the Midlands in the summer of 1794. I suspect that Girtin’s motivation in copying a sketch of the gatehouse at Harlech and adding his own washes of colour stemmed from a desire to explore the means of balancing a similar monumental structure with an extensive landscape just as he does in the Newark view. And although it is not possible to say which came first, I suspect that they were executed at roughly the same time.
1798 - 1799
The View towards Salerno from the Road to Eboli
TG0735
1797 - 1798
Vallombrosa Abbey
TG0669
(?) 1798
Harlech Castle
TG1318
1794 - 1795
The Gatehouse, Newark Castle
TG0320
(?) 1794
Newark Castle: The Gatehouse Seen from the North
TG0102