- 320
Thomas Girtin
Description
- Thomas Girtin
- North View of Moreton Corbet Castle, Shropshire
- Watercolour over pencil, on laid paper;
signed in pen and brown ink, lower centre: Girtin 1800; inscribed in pen and brown ink, on a label on the back-board: North View of Moreton Corbet Castle.
Provenance
Commissioned by Sir Andrew Corbet, 1st Bt. (1766-1835);
thence by descent to Sir Walter Corbet, 4th Bt. (1856-1910);
thence by descent to his daughter; Lesbia Corbet, later Lady Lambe (1905-1990);
thence by descent to the present owner
Literature
Catalogue Note
Moreton Corbet Castle is situated to the north of Shrewsbury in Shropshire. It has been the seat of the Corbet family since the 13th Century. Nikolaus Pevsner once described the building as 'amongst the most impressive designs in the country.'1
In 1560 the castle was rebuilt by Sir Andrew Corbet (d. 1578) and further alterations were made by his son Sir Robert Corbet (d. 1583). During the Civil War the Corbets fought with the Royalists, the castle was stormed and eventually burnt by the Parliamentarian forces. The building was never rebuilt and soon fell into decay.
The present watercolour dates to 1800. It is one of two recorded works by Girtin that were commissioned by Sir Andrew Corbet, 1st Bt. (1766-1835). The second watercolour (Private Collection) shows the castle from the south-east.2 During the summer of 1800 Girtin undertook an extensive sketching tour. Although his exact itinerary remains unclear, he certainly travelled in Shropshire, Northern Wales, Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. It was presumably while on this tour that he passed Moreton Corbet and managed to secure a commission from its owner.
We would like to thank Susan Morris for her help with cataloguing this lot.
1. Nikolaus Pevsner, Shropshire, London 1974, p. 204-5
2. T. Girtin & D. Loshak, The Art of Thomas Girtin, London 1954, p. 184, no. 365