Alexander Nasmyth (Edinburgh 1758-1840)

Though the present landscape in the Peak District is somewhat changed, engravings dating to the 18th century show the more rocky appearance of the 'straits' of Dovedale. Nasmyth's view as shown here may have been an accurate representation of a stretch of the river, or more likely it may be a looser interpretation, bringing together different vantage points to achieve a more dramatic effect. It encapsulates that which Wordsworth would later describe as 'romantic Dovedale's spiry rocks' (W. Wordsworth, The Prelude, 1850, Book VI, II.193). In palette and mood, the present lot is comparable to the Nasmyth's view of Hawthornden Castle, near Edinburgh, circa 1820 (Yale Center for British Art).