THOMAS DANIELL, R.A. (KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES 1749-1840 LONDON)

Thomas Daniell’s last Royal Academy exhibit before his ten year trip to India in 1784 was a ‘View of Workeyhole in Somersetshire, with the transformation of the witch of Workey into stone, from a legendary tale’. This drawing probably dates from the same trip to Somerset, where Daniell also painted watercolours of Cheddar Gorge which are now in Tate Britain and the British Museum. Daniell’s crisp, clear drawing style seen here, typical of the older topographical artists of the 18th Century, softened during his time in India as he worked alongside his nephew William (1769-1837). It is possible that the small figures at the front of the image could depict Thomas Daniell flanked by his nephews, William and Samuel, aged fifteen and nine respectively in 1784.