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Works (?) Thomas Girtin

The Interior of St Paul’s Cathedral: The Nave Looking East

1790 - 1791

Print after: The Inside of St. Paul's, Charles Taylor (1756–1828), after (?) Thomas Girtin (1775–1802), engraving, 'The Inside of St. Paul's' for The Temple of Taste, no.21, 1 July 1796, 12.5 cm, 4 ⅞ in. Reprinted in The Public Edifices of the British Metropolis, no.3, 1820. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection Library.

Photo courtesy of Yale Center for British Art (Public Domain)

Description
Creator(s)
(?) Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
Title
  • The Interior of St Paul’s Cathedral: The Nave Looking East
Date
1790 - 1791
Part of
Object Type
Drawing for a Print
Subject Terms
London Architecture

Collection
Catalogue Number
TG0041
Description Source(s)
The original known only from the print

About this Work

In addition to the two views of the exterior of St Paul’s Cathedral (TG0042 and TG0043), Charles Taylor (1756–1823) engraved an image of the nave looking east, and this was the last of the architectural prints included in his periodical The Temple of Taste. It was published on 1 July 1796, and, if Girtin was responsible for the untraced drawing on which the print was based, he would probably have executed it at least five years earlier. As with the majority of the views commissioned by Taylor, this image was based on an earlier print, in this case an anonymous engraving that was included in A New and Universal History, Description and Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, published in 1777. Taylor favoured strictly symmetrical interior views as they gave the most unambiguous information on the individual architectural elements of a building, and the comparatively crude images produced by the older generation of topographical artists suited his purpose well. The task of adapting such simple compositions was also well within the capabilities of a young apprentice artist such as Girtin, who was probably only about fifteen when charged with supplying Taylor with watercolours from which to engrave his plates.

1790 - 1791

St Paul’s Cathedral, from the South West

TG0042

1790 - 1791

The West Front of St Paul’s Cathedral

TG0043

by Greg Smith

Place depicted

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