The attribution to Girtin of this watercolour, which until recently was bizarrely identified as showing Canterbury Cathedral, was questioned by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960), who thought it was by John Henderson (1764–1843) (Girtin Archive, 14). However, although the quality is not high, with out-of-scale figures and exaggerated recession, the attribution is secure, particularly now that the subject has been correctly identified as Laon Cathedral (Smith, 2017–18, p.35). Moreover, given that Girtin almost certainly did not visit Laon during his stay in France in the winter and early spring of 1801–2, it is also now known that he based his watercolour on a print, and any problems with the perspective of the building can therefore be ascribed to the shortcomings of his source. The newly discovered origin of Girtin’s watercolour turns out to be an engraving after Tavernier de Jonquières (unknown dates) titled Vue Intérieure de la Nef de L’Eglise Cathédrale de Laon, which was included in Voyage Pittoresque de la France (vol.6, 1787) (see the source image above) (La Borde and others, 1781–1800). Girtin may have acquired this when he was in France and it was possibly amongst the ‘Books of French prints of … Landscapes unbound’ that were left in his studio at his death (Chancery, Income and Expenses, 1804).¹ Other watercolours made from prints from the Voyage Pittoresque include Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny (TG1896 and TG1897), Lyon Cathedral (TG1907), The Church of Saint Corneille at Compiègne (TG1908) and The Porte Chapelle, Compiègne (TG1909), which constitute a distinctive and coherent group of architectural views. Although none of the works were made from on-the spot sketches, it still cannot be said for sure whether they were produced on the artist’s return to England or whether they were painted in France. Indeed, the fact that they were created from earlier prints actually means that we cannot rule out what would once have been an unthinkable alternative – namely, that this and some of the other French views may even predate the artist’s trip. 

As with the other copies of prints from the Voyage Pittoresque, Girtin adapted – and improved upon – the original composition. Radically cropping the scene to the right changed the format to a vertical composition, creating a more immersive experience for the spectator and emphasising the height of the building. The figures, too, are reduced in number and size, helping to make this the most effective of the artist’s copies of a French source, with the use of what is in effect a monochrome palette contributing to a real sense of drama.

(?) 1802

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny

TG1896

(?) 1802

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny

TG1897

(?) 1802

Lyon Cathedral

TG1907

(?) 1802

The Church of Saint Corneille at Compiègne

TG1908

(?) 1802

The Porte Chapelle, Compiègne

TG1909