Charles Sackville Bale (1791–1880) formed one of the finest collections of ‘Water-Colour Drawings of the English School’ and his posthumous sale at Christie's across four days in 1881 (13–16 May) brought onto the market seventeen of Girtin’s most important watercolours (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 13 May 1881), together with a choice group of his pencil sketches (Exhibitions: Christie's, 16 May 1881) as well as many of the Monro School drawings that he executed in collaboration with Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 14 May 1881). Outstanding amongst the former are The Village of Jedburgh, with the Abbey Ruins (TG1229), Morpeth Bridge (TG1709), A Mountain View, near Beddgelert (TG1322) and The Ogwen Falls (TG1330). Bale bought the last two of these monumental watercolours at the sale of the Earl of Harewood in 1858, to which a descendant of Edward Lascelles (1764–1814) consigned many of the works that he had commissioned from Girtin (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 1 May 1858).

1797 - 1798

The Village of Jedburgh, with the Abbey Ruins

TG1229

(?) 1802

Morpeth Bridge

TG1709

1798 - 1799

A Mountain View, near Beddgelert

TG1322

1798 - 1799

The Ogwen Falls

TG1330