- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after James Moore (1762-1799)
- Title
-
- The West Front of Crowland Abbey
- Date
- 1793 - 1794
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 33.1 × 29.8 cm, 13 × 11 ¾ in
- Inscription
‘Girtin’ lower left, by Thomas Girtin
- Object Type
- Drawing for a Print; Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- Lincolnshire; Monastic Ruins
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0286
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 52 as 'Crowland Abbey, Lincolnshire'; '1793'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001 and 2016
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 Francis Pierrepont Barnard (1854–1931), 1912, £40; his widow, Isabella Barnard; bequeathed to the Museum, 1934
Exhibition History
London, 1875, no.47; Manchester, 1975, no.3; Baltimore, 1979, no.40; Oxford, 1992, no.100; Lincoln, 1997, no.29; Oxford, 2015, no.27
Bibliography
Mayne, 1949, p.99; Brown, 1982, p.324, no.708; Hill, Sublime Sites (Online), 'Plate 22: Crowland Abbey, Lincolnshire #1', 29 January 2024
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 East
Private Collection
Kenilworth Castle: The View 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 Cotman's depiction of the west front of Crowland Abbey in pencil, watercolour and print are the subject of three highly informative articles by David Hill in his online publication, Sublime Sites: Explorations in the Footsteps of Turner, Cotman, Ruskin and Others.
Revisions & Feedback
The website will be updated from time to time and, when changes are made, a PDF of the previous version of each page will be archived here for consultation and citation.
Please help us to improve this catalogue
If you have information, a correction or any other suggestions to improve this catalogue, please contact us.
About this Work
This watercolour showing the west front of Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire is based on two drawings (TG0286a and TG0286a figure 1) made in September 1789 by Girtin's important early patron, the antiquarian and amateur artist James Moore (1762–99). The slightly larger drawing (TG0286a figure 1), sketched by Moore alone in a hard-edged style, includes a section of wall seen in the watercolour though not in the other sketch, but otherwise it was the more loosely worked record of the architectural details that provided the basis for Moore’s commission from Girtin. Comparing Moore's two drawings of Crowland makes it clear that what I take to be the sketch worked on the spot (TG0286a) is of a different order, displaying a more varied and subtle range of touches that suggest that Girtin played a significant part in its production, correcting the perspective and enhancing the architectural details in preparation for producing his own watercolour around 1793/94. Girtin travelled with Moore in the summer of 1794 on a sketching tour of some of the most outstanding Gothic churches and cathedrals in the Midland counties, but though they are recorded as visiting Lincoln it is very unlikely that they would have made a detour to Crowland with sketches of the abbey already secured, and in any case the watercolour appears to predate the trip on stylistic grounds.
The watercolour was engraved in 1797 by Bartholomew Howlett (1767–1827) and was one of ten subjects by Girtin that were included in his Selection of Views in the County of Lincoln (see the print after, above) (Howlett, 1805). Two of the views engraved by Howlett were made from watercolours that Girtin produced for Moore from his own sketches following the 1794 tour (TG1008 and TG1010), but the rest of his contributions to the publication were copied after the work of other artists, something that is generally acknowledged with the credit line to the print in this case noting: ’T. Girtin from a Sketch by Jas. Moore, Esqr., F. S. A.’. It seems that Howlett approached Moore for help with his publication and that the patron, sometime around 1796, lent this earlier view of Crowland together with the two Lincoln views that he had commissioned from Girtin after the 1794 tour (TG1008 and TG1010). At this stage, therefore, there may have been no direct connection between the artist and the publisher/engraver, and the view of Crowland was not produced specifically for engraving. In fact, the print differs in a number of details from the watercolour, including the addition of a female figure and a cow, and the wall has been pierced so that it does not interrupt the view of the west doorway. Moreover, overlaying images of the print and watercolour reveals that the engraver has compressed the proportions of the building, making the tower more attenuated and in the process compromising the perspective of details such as the porch to the left. Indeed, such is the poor effect of the engraving that one might question whether or not it was actually based on this watercolour. However, rather than looking for another Girtin model, I suspect that it was the drawing’s origin as part of a different project that led an engraver of Howlett’s modest abilities to depart from the proportions of his source.
Moore first travelled through Lincolnshire on the way to Yorkshire in the autumn of 1789. A visit to Crowland would have required a short detour from his route, but the antiquarian would have been well rewarded for his efforts by the abbey’s picturesque ruins. Just as John Sell Cotman (1782–1842) was to do a few years later, Moore chose a viewpoint close to the ruined south aisle of the west front of the abbey from where the banks of arcading, with their fine display of medieval statuary, are seen to good effect. 1 The viewpoint was also well calculated to show off the generous proportions of the tower and spire, which were added to the west end of the north aisle in the later fifteenth century to provide accommodation for parishioners within the abbey, and which were left standing complete after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
(?) 1789 - 1793
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
TG0286a
(?) 1789 - 1793
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
TG0286a
(?) 1789 - 1793
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
TG0286a
(?) 1789 - 1793
The West Front of Crowland Abbey
TG0286a
1794
Lincoln Cathedral, from the West
TG1008
1794 - 1795
Lincoln, from the Brayford Pool
TG1010
1794
Lincoln Cathedral, from the West
TG1008
1794 - 1795
Lincoln, from the Brayford Pool
TG1010