Exhibitions: Museums and Galleries, Art Dealers, Auction Houses

English Drawings and Water-Colours with Special Reference to Thomas Girtin (1775–1802)

The Leicester Galleries, London

Reference: London, 1912

The exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London was organised by the dealers Ernest Brown & Phillips and opened in July 1912. The extensive selling exhibition included 22 works by Thomas Girtin all from the collection of Thomas Girtin (1874-1960) who also wrote the introduction to the catalogue. The exhibition included the loan of six of the finest watercolours owned by the artist’s descendent, but as Thomas Girtin’s price list sent to the dealer reveals the remainder were available at prices ranging from £3 3s to £50 and there was another group of works by Girtin for sale that were not included in the exhibition. Thomas had invested heavily at the sale earlier in 1912 of the descendent of Girtin’s first patron James Moore (1762–99), buying more than 50 works at a cost of £659 (see the Documents section of the Archive (1912) and he was keen to recoup some of his expenditure whilst retaining the pick of the early works for himself. A letter and an invoice from Ernest Brown & Phillips records the prices that were achieved minus their 10% commission. Details from the price list and the other documents are summarised below alongside the titles taken from the exhibition catalogue.

  • 30. ‘Folesham Church, near Maldon’ - priced £31 10s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0317). Sold by 8 November, no price
  • 31. ‘Battle Abbey’ - priced £47 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0268). Sold by 31 August for £47 5s
  • 32. ‘Icklesham Church, near Winchelsea’ - priced £26 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0337). Sold by 31 August for £26 5s
  • 33. ‘Saltwood’ - priced £15 15s (‘blue grey’) by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0262). Sold by 8 November, no price (‘ugly man looking over wall’)
  • 34. ‘The Valley of the Wharfe (ca.1800)' - no price quoted by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960), so presumably not for sale (TG1720)
  • 35. ‘Pevensey Castle’ - priced £21 by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0218). Unsold and remained in the Girtin collection.
  • 36. ‘St. Augustine’s Gateway, Canterbury’ (1874–1960) (1798) - priced £50 by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0300). Sold by 8 November, no price
  • 37. ‘Warkworth Castle, Northumberland’ (1792) - priced £47 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0121). Sold by 8 November, no price
  • 38. ‘Westminster, from the Savoy Ruins’ (ca. 1792) - priced £15 15s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (?TG0226). Sold by 31 August for £15 15s
  • 39. ‘Carnarvon Castle (1801)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1309)
  • 40. ‘Kirkstall Abbey (1801)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1637)
  • 41. ‘Eildon Hills, near Melrose (1800)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1718)
  • 42. ‘The New Walk, York (1797)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1046)
  • 43. ‘Hastings’ - priced £6 6s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (described as ‘Pen & Wash’, untraced). Sold by 31 August for £6 6s
  • 44. ‘Landscape with the wooden bridge (1802)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1702)
  • 45. ‘St. Vincent’s Rocks, Clifton (1802)’ - no price quoted, so not for sale (TG1735)
  • 46. ‘Dumbarton Castle (1792)’ - priced £26 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0101). Sold by 31 August for £26 5s (but remained in the Girtin collection?)
  • 47. ‘Pembroke Castle (1792)’ - priced £42 by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0132). Unsold, later sold to Agnew’s
  • 48. ‘Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire (1792)’ - priced £26 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0122). Unsold and remained in the Girtin collection
  • 49. ‘Near Ramsgate’ - priced £8 8s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0217). Unsold and remained in the Girtin collection
  • 50. ‘Bexhill Church (1793)’ - priced £26 5s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0175). Sold by 8 November, no price
  • 51. ‘Battle Church’ - priced £18 18s by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) (TG0154a, untraced). Sold by 31 August for £18 18s

Items in the Price List of Thomas Girtin (1874–1960), but not in the exhibition catalogue

  • ‘Old Church pen 7.7.0’. Sold by 31 August for £7 7s
  • ‘Archit’ Details 2.2. –‘. Unsold
  • ‘Gt Marlow pencil 4.4. –‘ Unsold (TG0249)
  • ‘ “ “ 4.4. –‘ Unsold
  • ‘Saltwood Castle 4.4. –‘. Sold by 31 August for £4 4s. (?TG0224)
  • ‘ “ “ 4.4. –‘. Unsold
  • ‘Spire of Salisbury 3.3. –‘. Sold by 31 August for £3 3s. (TG0219)
  • ‘Land Gate Rye 9.9. –‘. Unsold. (TG0223)

Identified Exhibits