John Hoppner R.A.

Presented by the artist to William Gifford (1756-1826) in 1796;
Purchased by Colonel Grant

Colonel M.H. Grant, Old English Landscape Painters, 1959, Vol. IV, pl. 167;
J. Wilson, "The Landscape Paintings of John Hoppner";
Turner Studies, 1987, Vol 7 No. 1, pp. 15, 21-22, illus. Fig. 10

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in good condition. There have been some minor abrasions to the centre of the canvas and upper right. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered minor retouchings predominantly to two areas in the lower left, in the lower right and to small sections in the centre. FRAME Held in a gilded Neo-Classical style wooden frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although this atmospheric composition appears to be one of only two documented pure landscapes by Hoppner there are several other landscapes which can be attributed to him on stylistic grounds and we know from the backgrounds of a number of his portraits that he was hightly proficient in this genre.  There is also evidence that early in his career Hoppner went on a number of sketching trips - Farington records in his diaries that they went to Dartmouth and North Devon and also to Cheltenham and the Wye Valley, and also that Hoppner intended to sketch near Durham.  Moreover his studio sales contain drawings of locations throughout the country, none of which are now identified. 

John Wilson dates the present landscape to circa 1803, a period when Hoppner was recuperating from a broken arm.  At this period he was at the height of his career as a fashionable portrait painter and he may have turned to landscape painting so that his arm might become accustomed to holding a brush before he returned to commissioned work.  The choice of Dolbadarn Castle as a subject may well have been inspired by Turner's painting of the castle which he exhibited in 1800 and which was two years later to become his diploma picture.  Hoppner certainly knew Turner well at this period and they probably first met in 1794 when they would both have attended Dr Monro's academy.  Also Hoppner looked at Turner's sketchbooks which contained numerous images of Dolbadarn.  The actual composition of the picture however owes much more to Richard Wilson, and it is significant that Hoppner's studio sale included a group of etchings amongst which were "nineteen after Wilson and Mortimer".  Like Wilson, Hoppner chose to illustrate in this landscape both the sublime aspect, Snowdon, and the picturesque, Dolbadarn and Llyn Peris.  As John Wilson points out "the Dolbadarn landscape is a key traditional work in Hoppner's oeuvre, exposing his change from a busy and somewhat flashy style inspired by Reynolds to a simpler style, based on study of the Old Masters".

The landscape was owned by Hoppner's friend William Gifford who was not only one of the most feared satirists of his generation but also a distinguished translator.  Gifford was editor of the Weekly Examiner and The Quarterly Review, generally considered to be two of the most important journals of the period.