- 174
John Robert Cozens
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- John Robert Cozens
- London and the Thames from Greenwich
- Watercolour over pencil;
signed lower left on the original-mount: Jno Cozens 1792 - 367 by 525 mm
Provenance
Private Collection, Yorkshire, until circa 1956;
with Agnew's, London, by whom sold in 1957 to H.G. Balfour;
by family descent, until 1995;
with the Leger Galleries, London, by whom sold in 1996 to Sir Edwin Manton (1909-2005);
by whom given to the present owner
with Agnew's, London, by whom sold in 1957 to H.G. Balfour;
by family descent, until 1995;
with the Leger Galleries, London, by whom sold in 1996 to Sir Edwin Manton (1909-2005);
by whom given to the present owner
Exhibited
London, Agnew's, Annual Exhibition of Watercolour Drawings, 1957, no. 32
Literature
Francis Hawcroft, Watercolours by John Robert Cozens, London 1971, p. 34, under no. 9;
Andrew Wilton, The Art of Alexander and John Robert Cozens, Yale 1980, p. 51, under no. 137
Andrew Wilton, The Art of Alexander and John Robert Cozens, Yale 1980, p. 51, under no. 137
Catalogue Note
This is a watercolour in which John Robert Cozens depicts a view of serene beauty. In the foreground sheep quietly graze amongst the mature trees of Greenwich Park. Beyond, the twin cupolas of Greenwich hospital and the river Thames - peppered with shipping and sparkling in the sunlight - can be seen. In the far distance, the great dome of St. Paul’s and the spires of the city of London punctuate the horizon.
Cozens clearly admired this famous London view, as five further watercolours of the same subject survive to this today. Two are in private collections, while the others are, respectively, at the Courtauld Institute, London, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven.
Cozens is often referred to as the ‘father of British watercolour painting’ and his treatment of compositions such as in the present work, with its sophisticated handling of light, the use of delicate brush-work and careful layering of colour washes, perhaps goes someway to explaining why he was to inspire directly the major figures of the next generation, not least, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Thomas Girtin and John Constable R.A.
John Constable believed that Cozens ‘was the greatest genius that ever touched landscape,’ while Henry Fuseli wrote that he ‘followed the arrangements of nature, which he saw with an enchanted eye, and drew with an enchanted hand.’ Cozen's understanding of the essence and ingredients necessary in interpreting a landscape on paper could not have failed to have been encouraged by his father - the landscape artist, theorist and drawings-master at Eton College - Alexander Cozens. John Robert was the first major landscape painter to work exclusively in the medium of watercolour and, throughout his life, he enjoyed the patronage and recognition of some of the most influential collectors and patrons of the day. As a result of two extended tours of the continent, British subjects by Cozens are extremely rare.
This watercolour was formerly owned by Sir Edwin Manton, who assembled one of the greatest collections of British art in private hands. He was a generous donor to the Tate Galleries in London and was knighted for services to the Arts. In 2007 his family’s foundation bequeathed over two hundred paintings, drawings, and prints to The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Cozens clearly admired this famous London view, as five further watercolours of the same subject survive to this today. Two are in private collections, while the others are, respectively, at the Courtauld Institute, London, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven.
Cozens is often referred to as the ‘father of British watercolour painting’ and his treatment of compositions such as in the present work, with its sophisticated handling of light, the use of delicate brush-work and careful layering of colour washes, perhaps goes someway to explaining why he was to inspire directly the major figures of the next generation, not least, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Thomas Girtin and John Constable R.A.
John Constable believed that Cozens ‘was the greatest genius that ever touched landscape,’ while Henry Fuseli wrote that he ‘followed the arrangements of nature, which he saw with an enchanted eye, and drew with an enchanted hand.’ Cozen's understanding of the essence and ingredients necessary in interpreting a landscape on paper could not have failed to have been encouraged by his father - the landscape artist, theorist and drawings-master at Eton College - Alexander Cozens. John Robert was the first major landscape painter to work exclusively in the medium of watercolour and, throughout his life, he enjoyed the patronage and recognition of some of the most influential collectors and patrons of the day. As a result of two extended tours of the continent, British subjects by Cozens are extremely rare.
This watercolour was formerly owned by Sir Edwin Manton, who assembled one of the greatest collections of British art in private hands. He was a generous donor to the Tate Galleries in London and was knighted for services to the Arts. In 2007 his family’s foundation bequeathed over two hundred paintings, drawings, and prints to The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.