John Middleton (1827-1856)
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
John Middleton (1827-1856)

An old cottage at Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Details
John Middleton (1827-1856)
An old cottage at Tunbridge Wells, Kent
signed with initials, inscribed and dated 'Tonbridge [sic] Wells/JM. 1847.' (lower left)
pencil and watercolour
12¼ x 18 in. (31 x 45.7 cm.)
Provenance
The Bolingbroke Collection, and by descent.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 9 March 1989, lot 103.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

It seems probable that Middleton accompanied his tutor Henry Bright (1810-1873) on his tour of Kent in 1847. For drawings by Bright of Kent and Tunbridge see, M. Allthorpe-Guyton, Henry Bright 1810-1873 Paintings and Drawings in Norwich Castle Museum, Norfolk Museums Service, 1986, p. 78, 80, 81, nos. 50, 54 and 55.

As A. Moore, The Norwich School of Artists, 1985, p. 144, observes: '1847 proved to be the annus mirabilis of Middleton's life and career'; several watercolours of this date, and of a similar size to the drawing in this lot, are in the Norwich Castle Museum. The watercolours of Bullingstone, Kent, Alby, Norfolk, and Blofield are all illustrated by Moore, op.cit., pp. 142, 143, and 144 respectively.
For another drawing by Middleton of Tunbridge Wells see lot 126.

More from British Art on Paper

View All
View All