This detailed pencil study of Southwell Minster, taken from the north west, was in all likelihood made during Girtin’s first significant trip outside London, which he undertook in the summer of 1794 in the company of his earliest patron, the amateur artist and antiquarian James Moore (1762–99). Girtin is documented as having visited Lincoln with Moore (Howlett, 1805),¹ and the full extent of the tour can be gauged from the existence of a sequence of detailed pencil drawings of major Gothic cathedrals in the Midlands (such as TG1014) and from dated and exhibited watercolours that were produced from them – most notably, examples painted for Moore himself, including a view of Southwell (TG0996). In addition to Lincoln and Southwell, patron and artist appear to have travelled to Peterborough and Lichfield, with other possible stops including Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kenilworth. Girtin’s commissions for Moore had hitherto been based on sketches made by the patron himself, including the large watercolour Ely Cathedral, from the South East (TG0202), which was shown at the Royal Academy exhibition in the late spring of 1794. Although a fine work for a young artist, the view of Ely showed up the limitations of working from a secondary source, and I suspect that Moore took his protégé on his next trip so that he might take more detailed and accurate sketches of architectural subjects than he himself was capable of.

Pencil drawings such as this view of Southwell represent a step change in Girtin’s sketching practice at this date. Working on a larger sheet of paper than he had hitherto employed, Girtin employed a careful, broken line, which varies from the lightest of touches to sharper forms, to record the complex architectural details of a lateral view of the cathedral. With his own drawing of Southwell, Girtin was in a position to realise accurate representations of one of the most important Gothic churches in England (TG1017 and TG1002), in a composition that was not compromised by the problems with perspective that had marred views such as the one of Ely. The first of the two major watercolours of Southwell (TG0996) was almost certainly painted for Moore himself, and, given that he accompanied Girtin on a trip that was undertaken with a series of commissions for watercolours as its primary aim, it is likely that the patron himself chose the subjects for his young artist to sketch as well as dictating the specific viewpoints from which they were to be depicted. In this case, the view from the north west happily combines Southwell’s distinctive western towers with the crossing tower, as well as featuring the famous Chapter House to the left. The 1794 trip to the Midlands may have been Girtin’s first significant trip outside London, but the patron was still very much in charge, and the results of the artist’s efforts reflected, first and foremost, Moore’s priorities as an antiquarian.

(?) 1794

The West Front of Peterborough Cathedral

TG1014

1794 - 1795

TG0996

(?) 1794

Ely Cathedral, from the South East

TG0202

1794

The West Front of Peterborough Cathedral

TG1017

1794

The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral

TG1002

1794 - 1795

TG0996