drawing
- Museum number
- 2013,7051.1
- Description
-
View of a harbour; hills in the background, small island in the centre of a body of water which has various boats on it
Brown wash over graphite; hand-drawn mount which has been trimmed
- Production date
- 1758-1844
- Dimensions
-
Height: 244 millimetres (drawing)
-
Height: 253 millimetres (drawn mount)
-
Width: 347 millimetres
-
Width: 356 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- This large sketch is of a thus-far unidentified harbour, and was one of a group of six watercolours by Bessborough (known as Viscount Duncannon until his father's death in 1793) which remained with descendants until the mid-twentieth century and were then sold as a single lot at Adam's auctioneers in 2010. The other five watercolours are of identifiable Italian and English views.
Bessborough was connected with many important noble families, including Earl Spencer and the Dukes of Devonshire and Portland. In addition to gambling, sketching and print collecting were his great passions. The BM has two other works by him: an album of watercolour views he drew in the summer of 1786 on tours around Hampshire and Derbyshire, where he sketched the great houses and parks of many of his relatives, including Chatsworth and Welbeck (see 2006,1130.4.1-34), and a smaller drawing depicting Crowland Abbey (see 1956,0714.30). The BM also has prints from Sandby's 'Virtuosi Museum' which were based on views by him; it is possible that Viscount Duncannon was one of the artist's pupils.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 2013
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 2013,7051.1
