Thomas Girtin (London 1775-1802)

The present watercolour was executed after an engraving by Herman van Swanevelt, one of a group of mid-seventeenth century Dutch artists who based themselves in Rome and were influenced by the work of Claude. It is possible that Girtin acquired a set of Swanevelt's etchings during his short stay in Paris during the winter of 1801-2 and copied them for sale on his return to England. Three watercolours are known of this type, all signed and dated '1801'; one is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, one is at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, and the other is the present watercolour.

Compared with the related etching by Swanevelt in a 1928 article featured in Burlington Magazine, Randall Davies claimed that 'Certainly [the three watercolours after Swanevelt] are up to his best level, especially, as one may say without disparagement to the others, Mr. Fison's.' Girtin has followed Swanevelt's composition but has added characteristic elements of his own to simplify the scene by reducing the number of figures and opening up the landscape, creating a lighter and more picturesque scene.

We are grateful to Susan Morris for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.