Thomas Gainsborough R.A. 1727 - 1788

P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London, from whom purchased by Sir Bruce Ingram

John Hayes, The Drawings of Thomas Gainsborough, 1970, p.208, no.428

This is a strong characteristic work of the late 1770s, a time when Gainsborough often employed coloured paper and then drew rapidly in a variety of coloured crayons, principally though black, to create a spirited landscape. What sets this work apart is the unusual inclusion of the lime kiln. The artist very often included farm buildings and barns in his compositions.  However on this occasion, the work centres on a lone figure who is stirring the rocks in a lit lime kiln with a long pole. Gainsborough would certainly have come across lime extraction in the countryside around Bath as local landowners strove to improve the quality of their soil through its addition. Given that it must have been a fairly common sight, it is strange that such scenes are so rarely depicted in English eighteenth century art.