Anon. Overgrown Church Ruin

British Cathedrals & Castles: Early 19th-century Watercolours

This watercolour forms part of an intriguing collection of works that we have for sale, dating from the early decades of the 19th century. The pictures show a range of British cathedrals and castles sited within their picturesque—at that time rural— landscapes. The anonymous artist appears to have been directly influenced by John Varley, who also painted a number of the same cathedrals, and one of the papers accompanying the collection bears the inscription 'Varley copy'. Varley was indeed a highly successful drawing master, with pupils including Copley Fielding, David Cox, John Linnell and William Turner of Oxford.

Dates on the paintings include 1805 and 1808, and a variety of papers are used, from watermarked cream laid to coarse-textured buff and grey wove. Three watermarks indicate 1818, 1819 and 1846—so this was a dedicated artist working over a number of decades and in a number of locations: many landscapes are in Wales and the Lake District, with other views as far afield as Peterborough, Glastonbury and York. This was an artist interested in topographical specificity—some of the views are annotated naming landmarks, mountain peaks and direction of view—but also with an eye for picturesque composition, including small figures, framing trees and a Claudian sense of balance.

The paintings are also fascinating as a record of these British sites over 200 years ago, most of which are now much changed, through architectural renovation and wider urbanisation.