John Robert Cozens

Sale, London, Christie's, 4 June 1974, lot 131;
with Agnew's, London
sale, London, Sotheby's, 16 July 1981, lot 76

A. Wilton, The Art of Alexander and John Robert Cozens, Yale 1980, under no. 93

We are grateful to Jane McAusland for conducting this condition report: Support: This drawing is on a sheet of wove type paper that is fully adhered to an original artist's mount, which appears to have been cut down a little at the edges to show about 1.5 cm of the wash lines. There is a little surface dirt in places and some scattered foxing in the sky, appearing mostly on the left-hand side. There are two small vertical tears at the edge of the mount and a small horizontal cut on the image to the right at the very foot, approximately 4.5 cm. On a glancing light there are two horizontal areas of paste visible on the composition, one in the tree to the right and another in the area beneath the castle. The condition of both the paper and the mount should be considered to be good. Medium The delicate tones of indigo and gamboge are still strong in existence in this watercolour. There is a pigment that has changed to more of a light tan than the red it would have been and, in my opinion, there was a wash of this in part of the sky, mostly in the centre and probably related to a sunset. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. 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 refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones and to the Notice regarding import of Burmese jadeite and rubies into the US.
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."

In this beautiful watercolour John Robert Cozens creates a peaceful view of the Lake of Albano. The left hand section of his composition is dominated by groups of tall trees, whose elegant forms are conceived in pigments of grey, blue and green.  Here Cozens allows the light to drift lazily through the thick, shadowy foliage. This area of great subtlety is dramatically punctuated by a shaft of bright sunlight, on the extreme left, that illuminates a herdsman driving his flock of goats down a steep and dusty path. To the right, in the foreground, the deep waters of the lake can be seen, while on the top of a wooded slope Castel Gandolfo lies bathed in warm sunlight. Beyond, Cozens depicts a serene open landscape which recedes deep into the picture plain.

This watercolour is based on a drawing by Cozens in the Sir John Soane Museum Sketch-book. He worked in this sketch book between 1776 and 1779, during his tour of the Continent with the collector and connoisseur Richard Payne Knight. Italy was to become supremely important to Cozens. During this trip, and indeed between 1782 and 1783 when he returned with William Beckford, he drew Rome and the Campagna, collecting material that was to be a source of reference for the remainder of his life. Even while still in Italy Cozens began to paint large-scale watercolours, and on his return to England in 1783 he continued to revisit these subjects.

It seems that Cozens felt a great connection to this particular view of the lake, for there are ten other surviving watercolours from this exact spot, each showing the landscape under different atmospheric effects. Two of these remain in private collections while the remainder are held respectively in the Fitzwilliam Museum,¹ Tate Britain,² the Ashmolean Museum,³ the Whitworth Art Gallery,⁴ the Yale Center for British Art⁵, which owns two versions, and Leeds City Art Gallery.⁶

It is works such as The Lake of Albano and Castel Gandolfo, with its sophisticated shifting lighting effects, use of delicate, highly energised brush-work and careful layering of colour washes, that perhaps go someway to explaining why Cozens was so influential to the artists of the next generation, not least artists such as Turner, Girtin and Constable.

1. C.F. Bell & T. Girtin, ‘The Drawings and Sketches of John Robert Cozens’, Walpole Society, 1935, no. 147, 1
2. Ibid., no. 147, 2
3. Ibid., no. 147, 3
4. Ibid., no. 147, 4
5. Ibid., no. 147, 5 & 6
6. A.P. Oppé, Alexander & John Robert Cozens, London 1952, pl. 41