Attrib. François Louis Thomas Francia Caernarfon Castle, Wales
An original early 19th-century watercolour painting, Attrib. François Louis Thomas Francia, Caernarfon Castle, Wales.
This beautiful watercolour of the Eagle Tower at Caernarfon Castle in north-west Wales is attributed to the leading French marine artist François Louis Thomas Francia (1772–1839). The medieval Caernarfon Castle is situated on the banks of the River Seiont and southern end of the Menai Strait. The Eagle Tower, with its three great turrets and 18-foot thick walls, is the castle's crowning glory.
François Louis Thomas Francia was born in Calais but was taken early in life to London by his father. Here he became one of the earliest and most accomplished watercolourists, employed initially as an assistant of a drawing-master named Barrow, who was the master of John Varley. Francia's earlier drawings are broad and simple in execution, and rich but sombre in colour, like those of Thomas Girtin.
Francia became secretary of Girtin's Sketching Club or Brothers (act. 1799–1800), a group of six artists devoted to the practice of landscape painting in watercolour (alongside Paul Sandby Munn, George Samuel, Robert Ker Porter and Thomas Richard Underwood). He also attended the Monro ‘academy’, made sketching tours and was secretary of the Associated Artists in Water Colours. He showed a total of eighty-five works at the Royal Academy between 1795 and 1821.
Francia retired home to Calais in 1817, where he took the younger English artist Richard Parkes Bonington (1802–1828) as a pupil. Francia taught Bonington the English watercolour technique, as well as other pupils including William Wyld, Eugène Isabey, Tesson and Collignon. Francia provided an important link between British and French watercolour painting in the early 19th century.
On flecked wove paper, laid down on a wove backing paper of the same size. Comes with an additional accompanying laid backing paper, now separate from the watercolour.
Provenance: Albany Gallery Collection. Suggested Ex. Ian Cook.
Dimensions: Height: 24.8cm (9.76") Width: 30.8cm (12.13")
Presented: Unframed.
Medium: Watercolour
Age: Early 19th-century
Signed: No.
Inscribed: Inscribed label on backing paper in modern hand.
Dated: --
Condition: Some toning across the sheet and surface wear in places. Minor creasing to the heavy paper in the left half. There is a patch of abrasion to the lower left corner where there was possibly an inscription or signature, now indistinct. Wear, abrasions and edge losses to the backing paper as shown. Please see photos for detail.
Stock number: JY-109
