.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Towne arrived in Rome in October 1780. He spent the next nine months working in the city at the same time as Thomas Jones (1742-1803) and John 'Warwick' Smith (1749-1831): see lot 14 for a watercolour by Smith.
Towne was an obsessive inscriber and the majority of his watercolours are inscribed with not only a number, title, date and time of execution, but often a brief description of the light and weather effects at the time of painting.
In the Spring of 1781 Towne was based in Rome, and other dated works show that he went on excursions from the city. In March he was in Naples, in May he was at Tivoli, where he stayed a fortnight. Castello Madamo is east of Tivoli, a few kilometres from the Villa Adriana on the road to Subiaco.
The inscription 'BP' in Paul Oppé's hand refers to Barton Place, home of the Merivale family. On Towne's death his estate passed intact to John Herman Merivale, the son of John Merivale Senior, a great friend of the artist. In accordance with Towne's wishes, 57 of the Roman drawings, mounted in two volumes, were donated to the British Museum in 1816 and a futher 17 in 1818. The Merivale family, however, held on to a large number of watercolours, and in 1915, when still living at Barton Place, just outside Exeter, they were visited by Paul Oppé who listed nearly 300 drawings still housed there. His article about Towne and the collection was published by the Walpole Society in 1920 (see below).
Towne was an obsessive inscriber and the majority of his watercolours are inscribed with not only a number, title, date and time of execution, but often a brief description of the light and weather effects at the time of painting.
In the Spring of 1781 Towne was based in Rome, and other dated works show that he went on excursions from the city. In March he was in Naples, in May he was at Tivoli, where he stayed a fortnight. Castello Madamo is east of Tivoli, a few kilometres from the Villa Adriana on the road to Subiaco.
The inscription 'BP' in Paul Oppé's hand refers to Barton Place, home of the Merivale family. On Towne's death his estate passed intact to John Herman Merivale, the son of John Merivale Senior, a great friend of the artist. In accordance with Towne's wishes, 57 of the Roman drawings, mounted in two volumes, were donated to the British Museum in 1816 and a futher 17 in 1818. The Merivale family, however, held on to a large number of watercolours, and in 1915, when still living at Barton Place, just outside Exeter, they were visited by Paul Oppé who listed nearly 300 drawings still housed there. His article about Towne and the collection was published by the Walpole Society in 1920 (see below).