- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- (?) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after (?) James Moore (1762-1799)
- Title
-
- The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
- Date
- (?) 1795
- Medium and Support
- Graphite on wove paper (with a fold c.3.2 cm from the bottom)
- Dimensions
- 20 × 17.3 cm, 7 ⅞ × 6 ¹³⁄₁₆ in
- Inscription
'Priory Dover' lower right
- Object Type
- Outline Drawing
- Subject Terms
- Dover and Kent; Monastic Remains
-
- Collection
- Versions
-
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
(TG0341)
- Catalogue Number
- TG0298
- Description Source(s)
- Gallery Website
Provenance
Charles Stokes (1785–1853); then by descent to Thomas Hughes; then by descent to his neice, Alice Ellen Hughes; her sale, Sotheby's, 28 November 1922, lot 139 as by Joseph Mallord William Turner; bought by 'Dunthorne', £5; Cotswold Gallery, London; bought from them by the Museum, 1930
Exhibition History
Cotswold Gallery, 1929b, no.85 as 'Dover Priory' by Joseph Mallord William Turner, £25; Cotswold Gallery, 1930b, no.89 as by Joseph Mallord William Turner
Bibliography
Philadelphia Museum of Art Online as 'The Priory, Dover ... attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner' (Accessed 4/12/2023)
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
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
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
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About this Work
This pencil drawing, like a near identical version in the Huntington Art Gallery (TG0341), shows the only surviving part of St Martin’s Priory in Dover: the mid-twelfth-century refectory. Unfortunately, only that much is simple, and the attribution of the two versions is highly problematic since, as with the two watercolours of the interior of the Great Hall at Eltham Palace (TG1383 and TG1384), one is attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) by its owner and the other is given to Girtin. The specific problem with this pair is that it is not just the architecture and its details that are repeated in both drawings, but the variable elements such as the carts and the cow are in exactly the same position. Given that it is not possible for the two artists to have sat next to each other and happened upon the same temporary alignment of staffage, one must be a copy of the other. Therefore, in addition to the problem of attribution, it is also essential that we work out which drawing is the copy, and by extension the function that each performed.
A reasonable starting point is to overlay the two images to test whether one was traced from the other. The results are intriguing, because whilst there is a considerable degree of congruence between the two images, particularly to the right of the composition, this is not true of the left side of this sheet, where the buttress has been moved in so that the building appears narrower. Looking at the surviving building in Dover, it is clear that this drawing (TG0298) is more faithful to its appearance, and in normal circumstances this would suggest that it was the sketch made on the spot. However, in this case what appears to have happened is that the author of this sheet, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, took the original drawing with its faulty perspective and inaccurate proportions; traced or copied those parts that work; and corrected the image to the left to create the more satisfactory image seen here. Ironically, the artist also introduced a new problem since he miscopied the rear of the two carts in the lean-to, so that it now occupies an illogical space: the process of narrowing the structure left insufficient room for the staffage, therefore.
What we have here, I contend, is the basis for a working hypothesis that does not depend on deciphering the minute, or non-existent, differences in the hands of Girtin and Turner as draughtsmen at this date. I suggest, therefore, that the other drawing (TG0341) is the original and that its shortcomings can be accounted for by the fact that it was actually begun on the spot by Girtin’s first significant patron, the amateur artist and antiquarian James Moore (1762–99). I further contend that, as was commonly the case at this date, Girtin then worked over and elaborated it, strengthening the patron’s weak outlines and perhaps adding the carts and the cow to indicate that the building was used as a barn. This would have been undertaken sometime after Moore’s trip to Kent and Sussex in 1795, as there is no evidence that Girtin ever travelled to Dover. Not having visited the site himself, the artist had no alternative but to accept Moore’s poor perspective, with the result that the image of the building, even after the professional’s improvements, still appears too wide and squat in its proportions. It is a fair assumption, therefore, that Girtin chose to execute this second drawing to correct the faults in Moore’s drawing and that he traced part of the composition whilst reconfiguring the defective area. Turner, it is true, did visit Dover and he even depicted the interior of the refectory of St Martin’s Priory in a finished watercolour from about 1793 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London (P.25–1934)), but it is not possible to envisage a scenario wherein he would have produced two such similar drawings whereas, in comparison, careful replication was a common and integral part of Girtin’s working practice at this date. My increasingly confident conclusion therefore is that both drawings can be at least partly attributed to Girtin, and that placing them in the context of his work for Moore is the key to understanding their function, rather than relying on a stylistic comparison with the drawings of Turner, who I have no reason to think was involved in the production of either.
Image Overlay
(?) 1795
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
TG0341
1796 - 1797
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1383
1794 - 1795
The Interior of the Great Hall of Eltham Palace
TG1384
(?) 1795
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
TG0298
(?) 1795
The Refectory, St Martin’s Priory, Dover
TG0341