William Page (1794-1872) | Album of 58 watercolours of Turkish, Greek, Swiss and Italian views and figure studies

William Page (1794-1872)

Album of fifty-eight watercolours of Turkish, Greek, Swiss and Italian views and figure studies.

Oblong folio (287 x 413mm.), 58 watercolours or brown washes (various sizes from 134 x 184mm. to 177 x 269mm.), of which 22 SIGNED, most inscribed with title on the sheet or mount, 57 mounted on thick cream paper, recto only, one mounted on lower pastedown, inscription/bookplate mounted on upper pastedown in gilt and black ink in Ottoman Turkish one line reading 'William Page', contemporary dark maroon morocco, sides with decorative blindstamped decoration, spine in five compartments with raised bands, gilt edges, upper cover lettered in gilt ' SKETCHES BY W^M. PAGE ESQ^R.", extremities slightly rubbed

A PREVIOUSLY UNRECORDED ALBUM OF WATERCOLOURS BY WILLIAM PAGE (1794-1872) OF HIS EXTENDED TOUR TO GREECE AND TURKEY VIA SWITZERLAND, including Geneva, Pisa, Corfu, Zante, Ithaca, Athens and Constantinople.

Page was born in London and studied at the Royal Academy in 1812-13 and exhibited there from 1816. Around 1817, Page left London for an extended tour to Greece and Turkey via Switzerland, with Lady Ruthven (1789–1885) and her brother William Campbell (1793–1821), who were cousins of Lady Elgin’s and thus would have heard at first hand the Elgins' accounts of their time in the region. Page is recorded in Athens in 1818. The Italian artist Giovanni Battista Lusieri wrote to his patron Lord Elgin from Athens on 7 May 1819 that Page `has much talent…. and has made a quantity of drawings which will bring him much honour’ (Elgin Family archive, quoted in Aidan Weston-Lewis, Expanding Horizons: Giovanni Battista Lusieri and the Panoramic Landscape, 2012, p.185, note 82). Page continued to Constantinople where he arrived in May 1821.

In the spring of 1821 the Greek war of Independence broke out, which cut Page’s trip short. Views in the album of Corfu, Zante and Ithaca suggest they travelled home via the west coast of Greece. Campbell died in Corfu in the summer of 1821 having contracted a fever. They then likely crossed to Southern Italy, perhaps visiting Naples and Pisa (see drawings in the album) on their way north.

This previously unrecorded album is a fascinating record of Page’s trip. Apart from the many Greek and Turkish views, it gives us an insight into Page’s route there through Switzerland which has never previously been documented. The grouping of subjects suggest that he travelled one way on a more northern route via Fribourg, Berne, lake Brienz, the Lauerzer Zee and Engelberg, and perhaps on the way back via the Simplon Pass, the Valais Region and Geneva.

Interest in Greece and the Ottoman Empire increased in Britain during the 18th century and amongst the early pioneers in search of material were James ‘Athenian’ Stuart (1713–1788) and Nicholas Revett (1721–1804) who visited Greece in 1751. The results of this trip were published in four volumes, illustrated with carefully measured architectural drawings, between 1762 and 1816. By the early 19th century, numerous artists, architects and travellers were visiting the region and such was the interest that the future Prime Minister, Lord Aberdeen, following his four year tour of Europe between 1810 and 1814, when he spent much of his time in Athens, founded the Athenian Club, as a place for like-minded individuals to meet. 

There are examples of William Page's work in the British Museum, Coventry Art Gallery, and the Searight collection at V&A, where there are costume studies from Turkey, etc.

LIST OF THE WATERCOLOURS IN THIS ALBUM:

1. Three Women at a Well at Berne, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Berne’.

2. Women in a Market, Geneva, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Geneva’

3. Women in a Market, Fribourg, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Fribourg’

4. Women in a Market, Berne, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Berne’

5. Figures in a Market, Berne, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Berne’

6. Turks by the Bosphorus, Turkey, watercolour, oval, inscribed on mount ‘Turks’

7. The Ruins of Alexandria Troas, Turkey, watercolour, oval, inscribed on mount ‘Alexandria Troas in Asia Minor’

8. The Temple of Jupiter Nemea, Morea, Greece, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Temple of Jupiter Nemea, Morea’

9. An Arch by the Bosphorus, Turkey, watercolour, oval, inscribed on mount ‘Bosphorus’

10. Three Albanians by a Classical Column, watercolour, oval, inscribed on mount ‘Albanians’

11. A Greek Boat by a Quay, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Greek Boat’

12. A Greek Sacoleva, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘A Greek Saccoliva’

13. A Greek Boat off Zante, Greece, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Greek Boat Island of Zante’

14. By the Coast, Corfu, Greece, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Corfu’

15. On the Bosphorus, Turkey, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Bosphorus’

16. Seated Figures by the Sea, Ithaca, Greece, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Ithica’

17. By the Bosphorus, Turkey, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Bosphorus’

18. The Lake of Brientz, Switzerland, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Lake of Brientz’

19. Four figures in the Valais, Switzerland, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Valaisans’

20. Figures in the Mountains between Domodossola and Baveno, Italy, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘entre Domodossola et Baveno’

21. Mont Blanc and The Salève, France, signed ‘W. Page’, brown washes, inscribed on mount ‘Mont Blanc le Saleve’

22. Figures at St Maurice, Switzerland, signed ‘W. Page’, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘St. Maurice’

23. Figures in the Mountains near Geneva, Switzerland, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Geneve’

24. The Entrance of the Rhone into Lake Geneva, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘entrance of the Rhône into the Lake of Geneva’

25. Women with Baskets, Geneva, Switzerland, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Geneva’

26. Turks by the Bosphorus, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Turks’

27. Albanians and Turks, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Arnaut’ and ‘Albanians & Turks’

28. Turks smoking by the Bosphorus, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Turks’

29. Turks smoking on a Terrace by the Bosphorus, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Turks’

30. Seated Albanian and two Turks, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Albanian and Turks’

31. Lauerzer Zee, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘LAKE OF LOWERTZ. ZUG MYTTEN MOUNTAINS.’

32. Meillerie on Lake Geneva, France, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘MEILLERIE. LAC LEMAN’

33. The Valley of Engelberg, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘VALLEY OF ENGELBERG. LE SPANATRE’

34. The Valley of Engelberg, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘VALLEY OF ENGELBERG. TITLIS MOUNTAIN’

35. The Village and Valley of Brig, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘ROUTE DU SIMPLON. VALLEE ET VILLAGE DE BRIEG’

36. The Hubschhorn from the Simplon Pass, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘LE SCHON-HORN. ROUTE DU SIMPLON’

37. The Hubschhorn from the Simplon Pass, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘ROUTE DU SIMPLON. LE SCHON HORN’

38. In the Simplon Pass, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘ROUTE DU SIMPLON’

39. The Entrance of the Rhone into Lake Geneva, Switzerland, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘entrance of the Rhône’

40. A Chateau on Lake Brienz, Switzerland, brown washes, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Chateau Goldschirll [?] Lac de Brientz’

41. An Albanian at Athens, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘ALBANIAN AT ATHENS’

42. A Woman from Mytilene, Greece, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Femme de Myttilene’

43. On the river Arno at Pisa, Italy, watercolour, signed ‘W. Page’, inscribed on mount ‘Pisa’

44. Turkish Boatmen with Pipes, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘CAIKE GEES’ and ‘TURKISH BOATMEN’

45. A Turk and an Arab, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘TURK’ and ‘ARAB’

46. A Tchaiouse at Constantinople, Turkey, watercolour, inscribed ‘TCHIAOSE’ and ‘Constantinople’

47. A Galleanogee or Turkish Sailor, watercolour, inscribed ‘GALLIONGEE.’ and ‘TURKISH SAILOR.’

48. Figures at Naples, Italy, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Napoli’

49. Figures at Pisa, Italy, watercolour, inscribed on mount ‘Pisa’

50. A Greek Lady at Athens, watercolour, inscribed ‘GREEK LADY AT ATHENS.’

51. An Albanian holding a Gun, watercolour, inscribed ‘ALBANIAN.’

52. Turks and a Tartar, watercolour, inscribed upper centre ‘Turks at Boursa Bashi -‘ and ‘Tartar. Aga at Koum Kali. Governor of the district of Troy. Asia Minor’

53. A Chor Bashi smoking a Hookah, watercolour, inscribed ‘CHOR BASHI.’

54. Turkish Effendis, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘EFFENDIS’ and ‘TURKISH SIGNORS.’

55. Asiatic Turks by the Bosphorus, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘ASIATIC TURKS.’

56. A Turkish Woman and Arab Slaves, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘TURKISH WOMAN.’ and ‘ARAB SLAVES.’

57. A Kneeling Persian, watercolour, inscribed on border ‘PERSIAN’

58. A Turkish Tomb at Constantinople, watercolour with gilt, inscribed lower right ‘TURKISH TOMB. CONSTANTINOPLE.’

LITERATURE:

J.H. Money, "The life and work of William Page (1794-1872)", The Old Water-Colour Society's Club, Vol.XLVII, 1972, pp.9-30

C.W.J. Eliot, "Lord Byron, Father Paul, and the Artist William Page", Hesperia Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Vol.XLIV, No.4, 1975, pp.410-25.