- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after (?) James Moore (1762-1799)
- Title
-
- An Unidentified Church close to a Road
- Date
- 1794 - 1795
- Medium and Support
- Graphite on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 16 × 22.3 cm, 6 ¼ × 8 ¾ in
- Object Type
- Outline Drawing
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG0330
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001 and 2018
Provenance
Richard Johnson; his sale, Sotheby’s, 13 June 1934, lot 11 as 'A set of six small water-colour Drawings and Another', by Joseph Mallord William Turner; bought by 'Finberg', £3 10s; Cotswold Gallery, London; Hilda Félicité Finberg (c.1885–1959); presented to the Museum, 1946, as by Edward Dayes
Other entries in Topography without Travel:
The British Landscape at Second Hand
Thomas Girtin, Jan Peeter Verdussen
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Windsor Castle, from the River Thames
Untraced Works
Thomas Girtin, William Henry Wood
Windsor Castle: The Norman Gateway and the Round Tower, with Part of the Queen's Lodge
Windsor Castle: The Norman Gateway and the Round Tower, with Part of the Queen's Lodge
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
Thomas Girtin, Unknown Artist
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Showing the Choir and North Transept
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Showing the Choir and North Transept
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
Thomas Girtin
A View in Windsor Great Park with Deer
A View in Windsor Great Park with Deer
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
An Ancient House, Possibly in Sussex
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Looking towards the West Window from the Choir
The Interior of Tintern Abbey, Looking towards the West Window from the Choir
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruins of Newark Priory Church
The Ruins of Newark Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Castle and Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Lancaster Castle and Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Barnard Castle and Bridge, from the River Tees
Barnard Castle and Bridge, from the River Tees
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Paul Sandby
The Ruined West Front of Dunbrody Abbey Church, County Wexford, Ireland
The Ruined West Front of Dunbrody Abbey Church, County Wexford, Ireland
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The West Tower of Rumburgh Priory Church
The West Tower of Rumburgh Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Dumbarton Rock, from the North
Dumbarton Rock, from the North
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Kidwelly Church, with the Castle Beyond
Kidwelly Church, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Kelso Abbey, from the North West
Kelso Abbey, from the North West
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep, Portchester Castle, from the North East
The Keep, Portchester Castle, from the North East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Rochester Castle, from the South East
The Keep of Rochester Castle, from the South East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Part of the Ruins of Middleham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Margam Abbey Church, from the North West
Margam Abbey Church, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
The Ruined East End of Walsingham Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruins of the Holy Ghost Chapel, Basingstoke
The Ruins of the Holy Ghost Chapel, Basingstoke
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Part of the Ruins of Lewes Castle, from the West
Part of the Ruins of Lewes Castle, from the West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Thomas Hearne
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
Glasgow High Street, Looking towards the Cathedral
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the East
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the East
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Paul Sandby
The South Transept, Much Wenlock Priory Church
The South Transept, Much Wenlock Priory Church
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Newport Castle, Monmouthshire
Newport Castle, Monmouthshire
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Portchester Castle, from the Outer Bailey
Portchester Castle, from the Outer Bailey
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
An Unidentified Church close to a Road
An Unidentified Church close to a Road
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the South West
The Keep of Hedingham Castle, from the South West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Kirkstall Abbey, from the North West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Ruined Gateway of Mettingham Castle
The Ruined Gateway of Mettingham Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Keep of Rochester Castle, Seen from outside the Walls
The Keep of Rochester Castle, Seen from outside the Walls
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
Tintern Abbey, from the River Wye
Tintern Abbey, from the River Wye
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
Tintern Abbey: The View from the Nave
Tintern Abbey: The View from the Nave
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Samuel Ireland
The Market at Aberystwyth
The Market at Aberystwyth
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Lancaster Castle, from the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Lancaster Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Lancaster Priory Church, Seen with the Old Bridge over the River Lune
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Buttermere Bridge, from the Fish Inn
Buttermere Bridge, from the Fish Inn
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
The Medieval Kitchen, Stanton Harcourt
Private Collection, Norfolk
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Rochester Cathedral, from the North East, with the Castle Beyond
Rochester Cathedral, from the North East, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Glasgow High Street: Looking towards the Cathedral
Glasgow High Street: Looking towards the Cathedral
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Distant View of Corfe Castle
A Distant View of Corfe Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
Chichester Cathedral, from the South West
Chichester Cathedral, from the South West
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, James Moore
The Gatehouse of Amberley Castle
The Gatehouse of Amberley Castle
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
A Lake and Mountains, Possibly in the Lake District
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
An Unidentified View across a Lake, or along a Coast
An Unidentified View across a Lake, or along a Coast
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Church Tower amongst Trees, with a Cart in the Foreground
A Church Tower amongst Trees, with a Cart in the Foreground
British Museum, London
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
An Unidentified Landscape, with a Church amongst Trees
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
Trees near a Lake or River, at Twilight
Trees near a Lake or River, at Twilight
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
A Hilly Landscape, with a Two-Arched Bridge
A Hilly Landscape, with a Two-Arched Bridge
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
A Distant View of Tynemouth Priory, from the Sea
A Distant View of Tynemouth Priory, from the Sea
Tate, London
Thomas Girtin
An Upland Landscape, Possibly in Northumberland
An Upland Landscape, Possibly in Northumberland
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin, Edward Dayes
A Bridge in the Lake District, Possibly Grange Bridge, Borrowdale
A Bridge in the Lake District, Possibly Grange Bridge, Borrowdale
Private Collection
Thomas Girtin
Bridgnorth, on the River Severn
Bridgnorth, on the River Severn
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Knaresborough, from the River Nidd
Knaresborough, from the River Nidd
Private Collection
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About this Work
This drawing of an unidentified church appears to have come from the collection of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) and it is likely, therefore, that it was made in relation to the production of one of the ‘Coloured Drawings on Cards’ that Girtin painted for his early patron. Sixty examples were sold from Monro’s collection in all (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 7 May 1808, lots 60 and 61; Christie’s, 26 June 1833, lots 80–83), though, if a watercolour of this subject was made, it has not been traced. A large group of similar outlines from Monro’s collection are now part of the Turner Bequest at Tate Britain, and they too measure roughly the same size as this drawing. Where it has been possible to identify the subjects of the outlines, they invariably turn out to be copies from the work of other artists, and this is probably the case with this drawing too. Many of Girtin’s drawings were copied from the work of his master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804), but more obscure architectural subjects such as this are more likely to have been taken from sketches by the young artist’s first significant patron, the amateur draughtsman and antiquarian James Moore (1762–99). Trips by Moore to Sussex in 1793 and again in 1795 resulted in numerous studies of the county’s parish churches. Though there are few distinctive features from which to identify this building, it may be that it too depicts one of the characteristic structures from an area that Girtin is unlikely to have visited himself. That said, the composition is actually typical of the mature Girtin, in that a humble church is monumentalised by the adoption of a low viewpoint, with a featureless setting dropping away into the distance, leaving the building in isolation. The point, presumably, is that when working for Monro, Girtin was able to select a Moore composition that suited his artistic concerns as well as being of architectural interest.
The attribution of the drawing has changed over the years, beginning as an early work of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) before being changed to Dayes, until Andrew Wilton finally showed that it, and four of the coloured cards acquired by the British Museum in the 1930s (TG0235, TG0361, TG0377 and TG0379), were all by Girtin (Wilton, 1984a, p.23). The drawing was sold in 1934 in a single lot together with the coloured cards, and, in the absence of a complete provenance, that is the best evidence we have that it too originally came from Monro’s collection.
1795 - 1796
The Refectory of Walsingham Priory
TG0235
1795 - 1796
Legburthwaite Vale
TG0361
1795 - 1796
A Road by a Pond, with a Church in the Distance
TG0377
1795 - 1796
A Church Tower amongst Trees, with a Cart in the Foreground
TG0379