This sadly faded watercolour showing the Layerthorpe Bridge over the river Foss at York is one of two versions of a composition (the other being TG1653) that Girtin must originally have sketched on his visit to the city in 1796. We can be sure that the subject of the bridge and its postern, or gatehouse, were drawn on the artist’s first independent tour, which took in the northern counties and the Scottish Borders, because of the presence of the spire of the church of St Denys, seen to the left of the bridge. The spire is also visible in an earlier view of the minster (TG1051), and, given that St Denys was demolished in 1798, it must be that both subjects were sketched in 1796 and not on an undocumented later visit. The bridge and its postern were also removed in the nineteenth century, but the square towers of St Saviour’s and St Cuthbert’s to the right are still visible from the bank of the Foss, from where they make for a rather less cluttered assembly than that shown by Girtin. Indeed, the artist’s uncharacteristically muddled and confused composition arguably provides one final clue that he revisited an earlier sketch. Girtin’s purpose here is made clear by comparing the work with the other views of the city that date from around 1800 (TG1649 and TG1656). All three, together with the other version of this composition, conform to the standard size of the works that were disposed of by Samuel William Reynolds (1773–1835), who acted on behalf of the artist in his final years in a role somewhere between agent and dealer. Since each was also the subject of a mezzotint by Reynolds (see print after, above, Neill & Son, 1883), there is little doubt that they were executed for sale on the open market and that Girtin returned to his earlier sketches to find subjects that would make for saleable commodities. The fact that there is another version of this composition suggests that, despite its limitations, it was still attractive to collectors, and according to Reynolds’ accounts it would have cost them around £10 (Reynolds, Letter, 1803).¹

On a technical note, the paper historian Peter Bower has identified the support used by Girtin as a buff laid wrapping paper by an unknown English manufacturer (Smith, 2002b, p.220; Bower, Report). This is probably the same support that the artist used for The Ouse Bridge, York (TG1042), The Ogwen Falls (TG1330), Plymouth (TG1753) and Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths (TG1897). The coarse support is particularly evident because of the work’s very faded condition, which has seen the greys of the clouds and the greens of the vegetation reduced to an almost monochrome earth colour, making the work’s compositional weaknesses even more apparent. Girtin must have employed a second, less fugitive blue pigment, possibly ultramarine rather than the evanescent indigo, as at least some of the sky has retained its original colour. The work’s faded state also means that changes the artist made to the figures can be seen. A rider going under the archway has been scratched out and painted over, though it still shows through the transparent washes as a ghostly presence.

A full-scale copy of this watercolour (albeit in poor condition), is, like the comparable version of The Ouse Bridge, York (see TG1649 figure 1), to be found in the collection of York Art Gallery (see figure 1). The fact that the view of Layerthorpe Bridge was reproduced as a mezzotint by Reynolds means that the watercolour must have been in his possession and it is likely that he was responsible for the competent copy, which would have been beyond the capabilities of an amateur working from a print. Indeed, the copyist appears to have used the same pigments as Girtin, since although the sky has also faded, the same patches of blue remain unaltered. Reynolds’ posthumous sale included an item listed as ‘One of the Gates of York’, which, given that it was unsold at £1 1s, may have been this copy (Exhibitions: Christie’s, 18 April 1836, lot 171).

1797 - 1798

York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern

TG1653

1796 - 1797

York Minster, from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right

TG1051

1800

The Ouse Bridge, York

TG1649

1800

York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right

TG1656

1798 - 1799

The Ouse Bridge, York

TG1042

1798 - 1799

The Ogwen Falls

TG1330

1801

Plymouth

TG1753

(?) 1802

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny

TG1897