The gatehouse on the bridge over the River Severn at Bridgnorth, Shropshire, with the church of St. Leonard beyond

Details

Joseph Farington, R.A. (1747-1821)
The gatehouse on the bridge over the River Severn at Bridgnorth, Shropshire, with the church of St. Leonard beyond
signed and dated 'Jos. Farington./1791' (lower right)
oil on canvas
27¼ x 44½ in. (69.2 x 113 cm.)

Provenance

Urban, 1st Lord Fairhaven, in aid of The Lord Baldwin Fund for Refugees; Christie's, 24 May 1939, lot 241 (48 gns. to Partridge).
Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 11 April 1997, lot 23 (sold £26,450).

Literature

W. Ruddick & M. Turner, Joseph Farington: watercolours and drawings, exhibition catalogue, 1977, p. 53.

Exhibited

Presumably London, Royal Academy, 1791, no. 190, as 'The gatehouse on the Bridge at Bridgenorth [sic]'.

Special notice

Christie's Interest in Property Consigned for Auction. From time to time, Christie's may offer a lot which it owns in whole or in part. This is such lot. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Established in the middle ages with the wealth of flourishing local textile industries, the town of Bridgnorth lies on a ridge of sandstone cliff along the west bank of the Severn. The Church of St. Leonard dominates the hill behind the gatehouse and the bridge. It is probable that this picture relates to sketches Farington made of Bridgnorth during his tour of the West Midlands in 1789 (Victoria & Albert Museum, AM P 90-1921 and British Museum, 1922.06.125). Farington had already achieved a reputation as a topographical draughtsman by this time, following the publication of his Views of the Lakes, etc, in Cumberland and Westmorland in 1789, and the Views of Cities and Towns in England and Wales in 1790. He exhibited a variation of this view, 'The Bridge at Bridgnorth' at the Royal Academy in 1792 (no. 68), and another composition of the subject by him was engraved by W. Byrne and T. Medland, and published on 1 January 1791.

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