- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- On the River Medway, with a Boatyard, Beached Vessels and Hulks
- Date
- 1799 - 1800
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on paper
- Dimensions
- 10 × 34 cm, 4 × 13 ⅜ in
- Inscription
‘on the Medway. T. Girtin’ lower right, by Thomas Girtin
- Object Type
- Colour Sketch: Studio Work
- Subject Terms
- Coasts and Shipping; Dover and Kent
-
- Collection
- Versions
-
Shipping on the River Medway
(TG1754)
- Catalogue Number
- TG1425
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 336 as 'On the Medway ... Late outdoor work'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2018
Provenance
Marmaduke Robinson; his sale, Christie’s, 4 April 1884, lot 117, £3 15s; Sir Bruce Stirling Ingram (1877–1963); then by descent to Michael Ingram (1917–2005); his posthumous sale, Sotheby’s, 8 December 2005, lot 150, £14,400
Exhibition History
London, 1952, no.72; London, 1963b, no.52
Place depicted
Other entries in Late Watercolours:
Samuel William Reynolds and Painting for the Art Market
An Imaginary City, with Antique Buildings
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
Ancient Ruins, with an Obelisk
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Ancient Ruins, with a Gothic Church
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
A Classical Composition, with a Church and Column
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool
The Arch of Janus, Rome
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Temple of Clitumnus
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Rome: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Rome: The Temple of Saturn, with the Arch of Septimius Severus
Private Collection
A Town on an Estuary
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence
A Lagoon Capriccio
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
An Unidentified Coastal Landscape with a Windmill
Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight
Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle
A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Exterior View of the Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory Church
Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland (English Heritage)
Kelso Abbey: The West Front
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
Jedburgh Abbey, from the Riverbank
The Higgins, Bedford
On the River Medway, with a Boatyard, Beached Vessels and Hulks
Private Collection
Bisham Abbey, on the River Thames
Private Collection
A Classical Composition, with Figures Admiring the Sculptures
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
An Unidentified Ruin next to a Bridge over a Stream, Said to Be Furness Abbey
Touchstones Rochdale
The Gatehouse of Morpeth Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Buildings on the River Nidd, near Knaresborough
British Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill
British Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Bridge, Morning
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Kirkstall Abbey, from the Canal, Evening
Private Collection
A Distant View of Kirkstall Abbey
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead
An Unidentified Scene, Formerly Known as ‘Kirkstall Village’
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Wetherby Bridge and Mills, Looking across the Weir
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
British Museum, London
Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
Leeds Art Gallery
Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
York: The New Walk on the Banks of the River Ouse
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
Private Collection
York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right
Private Collection
A Farmyard with Barns, Ladder and Figures; A Sky Study
Courtauld Gallery, London
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Leeds Art Gallery
Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery
A Distant View of Ripon Minster, from the River Skell
Private Collection
Ripon Minster, from the South East
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Ripon Minster, from the South West
Private Collection
The Abbey Mill, near Knaresborough
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Mountain Stream in Spate, Possibly the River Wharfe
Private Collection
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church from across the River Wharfe
Eton College, Windsor
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
Leeds Art Gallery
Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection
Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection
The Banks of the River Wharfe, with Bolton Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection
Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Storiths Heights, near Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Richmond Castle, from the River Swale
Leeds Art Gallery
A Farmhouse in Malhamdale, Known as 'Kirkby Priory, near Malham'
British Museum, London
An Ancient Oak, Said to Be on the River Ure
Private Collection
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection, Norfolk
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection
Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
Tate, London
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory; The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
Private Collection, Norfolk
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Private Collection
Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Upland Landscape, Said to Show Etal Castle
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The River Tweed at Kelso, Looking Upstream
Courtauld Gallery, London
The Eildon Hills, from the River Tweed
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
A Distant View of Dryburgh Abbey, with the Eildon Hills Beyond
Private Collection
The Valley of the Tweed, with Melrose Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection
Jedburgh Abbey, from Jed Water
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Jedburgh Abbey, from the South East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
The Village of Jedburgh
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Southampton: The South Gate and Old Gaol
Private Collection
Bristol Harbour, with St Mary Redcliffe in the Distance
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
A Wharf with Shipping, Possibly at Bristol
Art Institute of Chicago
A Rainbow over the River Exe
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
A Rainbow over the River Exe
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
A Rainbow over the River Exe
Graves Gallery, Sheffield
Lydford Castle, from the River Lyd
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown
St Vincent’s Rocks and the Avon Gorge
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Conwy Castle, from the River Gyffin
Private Collection, Norfolk
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
Tate, London
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
Private Collection, Norfolk
A Panoramic Landscape, with Figures Trawling a Pond
Private Collection
Landscape with a Distant Ridge, Possibly Hampstead Heath
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
An Inn Yard, Edgware Road, Paddington
British Museum, London
The Thames from a Window of the Old Toy Inn, Hampton Court
British Museum, London
The Old Cottage, Widmore, near Bromley
British Museum, London
Shipping on the River Medway
Museum of New Zealand, Wellington
A Farmyard with Cattle, Poultry and Labourers Unloading Hay, Possibly Pinkney's Farm, Wimbish
Art Institute of Chicago
Farmhouse and Outbuildings, Possibly in Essex
Aberdeen Art Gallery
An Unidentified Village Street with a Church Tower in the Distance
British Museum, London
A Panoramic Landscape, Possibly Showing Primrose Hill, London
Private Collection
A Mountain Stream with a Watermill and Bridge
Eton College, Windsor
Unidentified Landscape with a Distant Rain Shower
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Warkworth Church, with the Bridge Beyond
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
An Italianate Landscape with Two Monks
Private Collection
Revisions & Feedback
The website will be updated from time to time and, when changes are made, a PDF of the previous version of each page will be archived here for consultation and citation.
Please help us to improve this catalogue
If you have information, a correction or any other suggestions to improve this catalogue, please contact us.
About this Work
On the face of it, this watercolour appears to be a straightforward example of one of Girtin’s on-the-spot sketches, which, because it is signed and inscribed with the location of the river scene, has none of the problems relating to its attribution and subject that bedevil so many of his drawings. The fact that the composition was realised as a large, panoramic studio watercolour in 1801 (TG1754) confirms its status as a sketch made in the field, as do the use of a limited palette of colours and the evident speed of execution, though the former is complicated by the work’s slightly faded condition. The only problem occurs when we try to date the work, for, other than this drawing, there is no evidence that Girtin ever visited this part of Kent, and all of his Medway scenes were painted from the sketches of other artists at the outset of his career. For instance, the views of Rochester (such as TG0057) were all made from compositions by Girtin’s master, Edward Dayes (1763–1804), whilst the shipping and boat-building scenes on the Medway appear to have been created at the home of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) from sketches by the amateur John Henderson (1764–1843) (such as TG0833). The answer for Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak was simple; since the work was evidently made on the spot, it followed that the artist must have travelled to the Medway sometime around 1799–1800 (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.180). However, although there is logic to that conclusion, I am not convinced by the argument. Girtin was not a great traveller, and one-off subjects such as the view of Dovedale (TG1751) invariably turn out to have been worked up from a sketch by another artist, rather than being evidence of a hitherto undocumented journey. Girtin and Loshak managed to fabricate no fewer than two Lake District trips on the basis of such false deductions (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.41). In the case of this drawing, therefore, I am inclined to jettison one of my overarching principles – namely, that it is always best to look for the simple explanation for a problem – and suggest instead that the work was actually copied from another artist and coloured in the studio by Girtin for sale as an example of his sketching practice. If this was the case, the signature makes more sense because an on-the-spot drawing made with the production of a studio watercolour in mind does not need its author to be identified, whilst that is precisely what a collector with an interest in an artist’s sketches requires. The argument may be a little counterintuitive, but, looking across the span of Girtin’s career, it is more likely that the artist copied the work of another than that he undertook a costly and time-consuming journey that resulted in such a limited number of outcomes as here.
Having questioned the status of the work, it is only reasonable to look at its subject, not least because the studio watercolour that was produced from it was said by Girtin and Loshak to show a West Country scene; they titled it ‘Devonport’ (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.192). However, although the work is closest in feel to the coastal scenes that the artist produced subsequent to his visit to Devon and Bristol in the autumn of 1797, and it may have been produced as a pair with a similarly sized view of Plymouth (TG1753), the view does appear to depict the river Medway. Indeed, the presence in the middle ground of what seem to be hulks, the decommissioned ships that were used at the time as prisons, suggests that we are looking at a scene near Chatham. This is supported by a view of the Medway port attributed to the amateur Sir George Bulteel Fisher (1764–1834) (see figure 1), which includes the same combination of hulks, larger moored vessels and wooden buildings on the shore, together with a similar long, low line of distant hills.
1801
Shipping on the River Medway
TG1754
(?) 1791
Rochester Castle, from the River Medway
TG0057
1795 - 1796
A Boat-Builder’s Shed, Possibly on the River Medway
TG0833
1800 - 1801
Dovedale
TG1751
1801
Plymouth
TG1753