A View of the Old Walton Bridge, from the north bank of the Thames, with the house of Samuel Dicker, M.P., on the left

The famous 18th Century wooden bridge, boasting the longest arch in Britain, was commissioned by Samuel Dicker in 1748 and designed by William Etheridge; completed in 1750 it was demolished in 1780 when threatened with collapse. The bridge was painted by many different artists of which the most famous was Canaletto. This picture relates closely to two engravings; one of 1751 and the other of 1752, the first is inscribed as being by Luke Sullivan, the second was published anonymously in the London Magazine. Both these are in turn based on a painting attributed by Lewis McNaught to Luke Sullivan (see Lewis McNaught Thirty Years a Model, Country Life, 6 March 1980, pp. 656-8). A similar view attributed to Luke Sullivan, was sold in these Rooms, 20 April 1990, lot 63.