Francis Towne 1740-1816

John Merivale;
Sir Bruce Ingram

London, The Gallery, No.20 Lower Brook Street, Exhibition of Original Drawings [by Francis Towne], 1805, no.45;
London, P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., A Loan Exhibition from the Collection of Sir Bruce S.Ingram, O.B.E., M.C., 22nd January - 12th February 1952, no.79

The watercolour depicts the falls at Rhayadr Du on the River Eden north of Dolgelly and was painted during Francis Towne's excursion to Wales in the summer of 1777 which was a turning point in his artistic development. It was here, whilst exploring a countryside very different from his native South Devon, that his highly idiosyncratic style of watercolour drawing was crystallized. In Adrian Bury's apposite words he developed an 'austere and dignified vision of nature' (op.cit.,p.29). His very personal use of grey ink to act as an outline to the subtly modulated watercolour washes are very noticeable in the watercolour studies he made that summer. They have a grandeur of composition, a fluency of approach, and a sheer power that is in strong contrast to the more gentle scenes he had painted in his native county.

Towne seems to have travelled to Wales with his friend James White, uncle of his pupil John White Abbott. They travelled extensively over a terrain that was to become familiar territory for later British watercolourists but which, at this date, was only known through the markedly different works of Paul Sandby and Richard Wilson. The surviving works show that the tour began in North Wales; studies were made at Lake Bala 27th June 1777, Machynlleth the following day and Dolgellau on the 30th. By 5th July, Towne was at Rhayadr Du painting the view of the famous falls and two days later was at Tan y Bwlch and thereafter Port Aberglaslyn. He returned via the River Dee, stopping at Valle Crucis on 18th July.

John Merivale (1751-1831) of Barton Place, Exeter, was one of Towne's greatest friends and came to own the present watercolour.  He was a leading figure in the Presbyterian Church and a long standing member of the Committee of Thirteen, which ran the affairs of the various meeting houses.  John Merivale was expected to follow his father, Samuel, into the ministry, but after receiving a large legacy from a distant relative he opted instead to become a gentleman of leisure.  Merivale's wife, Ann Katenkamp, was descended from a Calvinist minister in Bremen and it seems likely that Towne shared his friends religious sympathies. 

Towne's watercolour of Rhayadr Du is drawn on various sheets of paper taken from the artist's sketchbook. In 1805 the artist decided to hold an exhibition of his works in London. He raided his sketchbook for watercolours which he had specially mounted. On the reverse of each, as in this case, the drawings were numbered and inscribed with location and the date when they were painted. The drawing offered here is one of the best of the Welsh views remanining in private hands, and demonstrates the artist's distinctive brilliance when confronted with the varied scenery of Wales