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British Watercolours From the Collection of BNY Mellon

Tennant Gallery

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Tennant Gallery British Watercolours Gallery Main Galleries VestibuleFrom the Collection of BNY Mellon Shop 25 September – 16 December 2018 Eleven Contents Page 2 Introduction Fine Page 4 Lift List of works Rooms Weston Seating Way In and Out Rooms Showcase Reference Catalogue

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1 British Watercolours from the Collection of BNY Mellon The period between c.1770 and c.1870 can be described as a “Golden Age” for watercolour in Britain.

Because the materials required for making watercolours were easily transportable the medium became extremely popular with British artists and travellers, who began to explore the further reaches of the British Isles as well as Continental Europe during these years.

The Royal Academy had an ambivalent attitude towards watercolour painting in its early days (it was considered an inferior genre to oil painting). However, many remarkable examples were exhibited at the Academy’s annual exhibitions.

2 This exhibition includes fine watercolours by artists such as Paul Sandby, Thomas Jones, John Robert Cozens, Francis Towne, JMW Turner, John Sell Cotman, David Cox, Peter de Wint and John Frederick Lewis.

They explored the possibilities of this delicate medium and took it to new heights. Much of their output consisted of topographical and their works provide a fascinating record of the scenery and buildings of the period.

The BNY Mellon collection was formed during the 1980s and 1990s, before the merger of The Bank of New York and the Mellon Financial Corporation in 2007 with a view to creating a visual reminder of the legacy of the Mellon family, and especially Paul Mellon, one of the twentieth-century’s greatest collectors.

3 List of works (clockwise in order of hang) Numbers shown are from the exhibition Catalogue, available for reference in the centre of the Gallery and on sale in the RA Shop. Cat. 11 Joseph Mallord William Turner RA 1775–1851 Barnard Castle ?Mid-1820s Watercolour and pencil

Cat. 12 RA 1776–1837 Hampstead 1833 Watercolour over traces of pencil

4 Cat. 2 Thomas Gainsborough RA 1727–1788 Landscape with Herdsmen and Cattle Mid-1770s Black and white chalk and stump on grey paper

Cat. 13 John Constable RA 1776–1837 Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire 1821 Pencil and grey wash

5 Cat. 17 Peter De Wint 1784–1849 Nottingham Castle from the Trent c.1847–1848 Watercolour

Showcase

Cat. 21 John Frederick Lewis RA 1805–1876 Study of a Bedouin Arab with a Jambiya 1840s Pencil, black chalk and watercolour, heightened with gouache

6 Cat. 18 Sir David Wilkie RA 1785–1841 King William IV ?1833 Pen and brown ink

On the wall

Cat. 23 Richard Dadd 1817–1886 The Passions: Drunkenness 1854 Watercolour on brown paper

7 Cat. 3 Francis Towne 1739–1816 Looking from Ambleside across Lake Windermere 1786 Pencil, pen and brown ink, watercolour with gum

Cat. 5 Michael ‘Angelo’ Rooker ARA 1743–1801 Westminster Hall, London Early 1770s Watercolour over pencil

8 Cat. 7 John ‘Warwick’ Smith 1749–1831 The Riviera di Chiaia and the Villa Reale, 1785 Watercolour over pencil

Cat. 6 Francis Wheatley RA 1747–1801 The Salmon Leap at Leixlip on the Liffey 1783 Watercolour

9 Cat. 1 Paul Sandby RA 1725–1809 Bayswater Turnpike, London, Seen from the West c.1790 Gouache

Cat. 8 John Robert Cozens 1752–1797 Lake Nemi ?1779 Watercolour over pencil

10 Cat. 4 Thomas Jones 1742–1803 A View from the Capuchin Convent at Albano Looking over Castel Gandolfo towards Rome ?1777 Watercolour over pencil

Cat. 24 John Ruskin 1819–1900 San Giorgio Maggiore, the Basin of St Mark’s and a Balcony of Casa Contarini-Fasan 1876 Watercolour over pencil, heightened with gouache with touches of pen and ink

11 Cat. 9 William Daniell RA 1769–1837 Glen in Windsor Great Park, near Bishopsgate 1827 Watercolour over pencil with scratching out

Cat. 14 Cornelius Varley 1781–1873 Nottingham Castle from the Trent c.1828 Watercolour with touches of gouache

12 Cat. 10 François Louis Thomas Francia (1772–1839) French Infantry Halted on the March in front of a Farmhouse 1827 Watercolour with pen and red-brown ink with touches of gouache

Cat. 20 Samuel Palmer (1805–1881) A Farm near Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire c.1845–1846 Charcoal and watercolour heightened with gouache on card

13 Cat. 15 John Sell Cotman 1782–1842 River Landscape, possibly Brignall Banks on the Greta, Yorkshire Early 1806 Watercolour and pencil

Cat. 25 Alfred William Hunt 1830–1896 Ullswater at Midday 1863 Watercolour

14 Cat. 16 David Cox 1783–1859 Drovers Crossing a River Valley in Wales c.1840 Watercolour, gouache and pencil

Cat. 19 Thomas Shotter Boys 1803–1874 Hôtel de Bellevue and Café d’Amitié Seen from the Park, Brussels 1830 Watercolour

15 Cat. 22 William Callow 1812–1908 Pont Royal, Paris 1839 Watercolour over pencil, scratching out with touches of gouache

Publication ‘British Watercolours c.1770–1870 from the Collection of BNY Mellon’, written by Brian Allen and published by Modern Art Press in association with the , is available in the RA Shop, priced £14.95.

16 Your feedback, please As we are committed to access for all, we would like your feedback on our large-print provision. Feedback forms are available from the Information Desk on the ground floor. We also offer one-to-one audio descriptive tours of the exhibitions with trained volunteer audio describers. Wheelchair users can also benefit from our volunteers, who can assist with taking you around the galleries so you can enjoy our exhibitions at your leisure. With prior notice we can arrange these at a time that fits in with your schedule. Contact me for further information. Thank you. Molly Bretton, Access & Communities Manager

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