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Lot Essay
John Robert Cozens made two visits to Italy, the first from 1776-79 and the second, when he accompanied William Beckford, in 1782-83. Thomas Jones, in his Memoirs, lists among those of 'Old London Acquaintance' he met at the English Coffee House in Rome, John Robert Cozens and Ozias Humphry. The miniaturist Humphry was in Italy between 1773 and 1779, hoping to transform himself into a painter of full-scale figures following an accident of 1772 that affected his eyesight. This watercolour is a testament to the friendship that developed between Cozens and Humphry, and, as Oppé observed, it is one of the few Italian drawings of 1780 to do justice to Cozens as a poetic artist. After listing several works of 1780 that Oppé regretfully describes as 'feeble', or in poor condition, he continues, 'A better epitome of the memories carried by [Cozens] from this [first] visit to Italy is to be found in the drawing belonging to Mr. Girtin called Porta Pinciana which was made for his friend Ozias Humphry in this year together with another now known only through a Monro School copy. In it, using only greens and greys and the lightest of brush-work, he drew, as his father had done before him, a lonely lane within the walls of Rome, his eyes lifted to the feathery tops of trees against a quiet sky. Tinged with melancholy, perhaps, certainly not high-spirited; but fragrant and calm, and as untroubled as the views of Alpine valleys.'
The Porta Pinciana has an interesting provenance. It passed from Ozias Humphry to his only son William Upcott, an illegitimate child who was generally referred to as the painter's godson. Upcott became a librarian, cataloguer and biographer, but is probably best-known as a collector of autographs. The 'Mr. Girtin' who was the later owner, was the co-author of the Walpole Society catalogue of Cozens's work. He, Tom Girtin, recorded the fact that there was once a Monro School copy of the composition. This, he notes, appears to have been made from the finished watercolour by Cozens (rather than a preparatory drawing) and, as such, was most unusual.
The Porta Pinciana has an interesting provenance. It passed from Ozias Humphry to his only son William Upcott, an illegitimate child who was generally referred to as the painter's godson. Upcott became a librarian, cataloguer and biographer, but is probably best-known as a collector of autographs. The 'Mr. Girtin' who was the later owner, was the co-author of the Walpole Society catalogue of Cozens's work. He, Tom Girtin, recorded the fact that there was once a Monro School copy of the composition. This, he notes, appears to have been made from the finished watercolour by Cozens (rather than a preparatory drawing) and, as such, was most unusual.