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Works (?) Thomas Girtin

St Mary's Church, Putney High Street

1793 - 1794

Primary Image: TG1392: (?) Thomas Girtin (1775–1802), St Mary's Church, Putney High Street, 1793–94, watercolour and pen and ink on paper, 24 × 14 cm, 9 ½ × 5 ½ in. Private Collection.

Photo courtesy of Paul Mellon Centre Photographic Archive, PA-F03340-0019 (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Description
Creator(s)
(?) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
Title
  • St Mary's Church, Putney High Street
Date
1793 - 1794
Medium and Support
Watercolour and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
24 × 14 cm, 9 ½ × 5 ½ in
Object Type
Studio Watercolour
Subject Terms
Gothic Architecture: Parish Church; London and Environs

Collection
Catalogue Number
TG1392
Description Source(s)
Auction Catalogue

Provenance

Sotheby's, 20 November 1963, lot 44; bought by 'MacDougall', £90

About this Work

St Mary's Church, Putney High Street

This view of St Mary’s Church in Putney High Street features the same prominent tower seen in the watercolour by Edward Dayes (1763–1804) called The River Thames at Putney (TG0164). The unsigned work, which appeared at auction in 1963 and has not been seen since, is uncharacteristic of Girtin’s work in a number of respects and there must be serious doubts about the attribution; if these can be resolved, it will only be by closer inspection. The use of pen and ink and a limited range of grey and sepia washes has no precedent in Girtin’s work, and though there are passages of pen work that display some of his inventiveness and pattern-making skills, other outlines are crude and whole areas are overworked, lacking the assured economy of means that characterises the artist’s style. The composition too is unusual for Girtin, and its close resemblance to an anonymous engraving dating from the early 1800s (see figure 1) might suggest that it was a later picturesque elaboration from this source.

1792 - 1793

The River Thames at Putney

TG0164

by Greg Smith

Place depicted

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