Samuel Hieronymous Grimm (Bern, Switzerland 1733-1794 London)

The drawing seems to have been begun in 1771, but completed after 1777 when the building of St Mary's Church in Battersea, visible across the River Thames, was completed. The building in the lower right corner is Belle Vue Lodge, built in 1771, where the poet and artist William Bell Scott (1811-1890) lived for many years. Settling in London in 1768, Grimm exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and the Society of Artists, developing a reputation for his excellent architectural and landscape watercolours, which provided detailed and characterful insights into the topography and character of contemporary life.

We are grateful to William Hauptman for his help in preparing this catalogue entry. Hauptman has requested the present watercolour to be included in his forthcoming exhibition of works by the artist at the Kunstmuseum, Berlin, in March-June 2013.