Francis Towne

Possibly commissioned by Mrs Fortescue of Buckland House, Devon;
J. Leahy's sale, Sotheby's London, 20 April 1972, lot 31;
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's London, 12 March 1987, lot 88

London, The Gallery, Lower Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, Exhibition of Original Drawings, 1805, probably either nos.154, 155 or 146

R. Stephens, A Catalogue Raisonne of the works of Francis Towne (1739-1816), unpublished Phd Thesis, Birkbeck College London, 2005, no. 425

Support: Towne has used a sheet of laid paper to support this watercolour and at present it is inlaid into a modern sheet giving it a false margin. The sky shows very slight staining, otherwise the condition is good. Verso: The remains of glue show on the verso where the watercolour has been removed from the backing. Medium: The watercolour medium is in a very good, unfaded condition. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions. We are grateful to Jane McAusland for her help in providing this condition report. For further information regarding this lot please contact Mark Griffith-Jones (0207 293 5083) or Emmeline Hallmark (0207 293 5407) mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com
"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."

Frances Towne executed this ambitious watercolour in 1785, four years after his return from Italy and his Grand Tour. Towne made a good living in the 1780s making views of Rome such as this one for the gentry and professional classes of the Exeter area. Mrs Fortescue of Buckland House was one such patron. An inscription on an earlier drawing of this view (exhibited in 1805, BM 1976.U.614)refers to this drawing being owned by her. We might therefore suppose that it was one of a group of Rome views which she commissioned from Towne and were delivered to her in January 1786. The artist has chosen for his subject the rural landscape which surrounds the Villa Medici, Rome. Typically for Towne, it is the theatrical play of light on the trees, rocks and path that have captured his imagination, whilst the form of the villa and the travelling party on the road infuse the scene with a sense of daily life taking place within this dramatic composition.

During his travels to Italy between 1780 and 1781 Towne clearly relished spending time sketching the rural landscapes and architecture that particularly fascinated him and which had earlier inspired artists such as Richard Wilson as well as contemporaries such as John Robert Cozens and Thomas Jones (see their views of the Italian campagna also offered in this sale). The British Museum on-the-spot drawings by Towne which relate directly to the present work demonstrate his fascination with this particular area and his own distinctive style. The first (as mentioned above) depicts the same composition as the present work. The second is taken from the same viewpoint but instead looks up the hill, away from the Villa Medici (see British Museum nos. 1972.U.614 and 1972.U.730). We would like to thank Richard Stephens for assisting us in the research into this watercolour and for sharing his extensive research into Francis Towne, the most recent example of which complements the catalogue entry for this work (see 'Francis Towne's Views of Rome,' British Art Journal, Vol X, no. 3, 2010, pp. 46-55, 2010).).