John Dugmore Valley of Rocks, North Devon

An original early 19th-century watercolour painting, John Dugmore of Swaffham, Valley of Rocks, North Devon.

A beautiful and rare topographical painting in watercolour and bodycolour by British draughtsman and grand-tourist John Dugmore of Swaffham (1793–1871). The view shows the Valley of Rocks near Lynton, North Devon, with Castle Rock on the left and the The Grey Lady on the right. The inclusion of tiny figures resting on the rocks and sailing boats on the water, gives the landscape not only a sense of grand scale but also topographical relevance, bringing a human element to this rugged and forbidding terrain.

John Dugmore of Swaffham (1793–1871) was born into Norfolk nobility in 1793. He benefited from a deep classical education and developed a sophisticated taste in the arts. On moving to London to seek his fame and fortune at the Royal Court, he met the man who was to become his patron, William Charles Keppel (1772–1849), 4th Earl of Albermarle. It is believed that Dugmore was responsible for Keppel children’s education, and he accompanied one of Keppel's son's on a Grand Tour in 1820. Over a period of twenty months, he passed from Scotland to Western Bohemia, France, Switzerland and Italy, recording the sights and views he encountered..

Dugmore's work has been praised for not only being visual witnesses of the shape of many main and minor European cities, but also for his ability in feeling and amplifying the esthetic news which he was meeting place by place. It is thought that his drawing style varies according to the landscape, his German drawings being very linear and pure, and his French drawings are ‘touched’ by pencil and brush in a way that seems largely to anticipate the impressionist idea of the light.

Provenance: William Drummond (Covent Garden Gallery, London).