Ugbrooke, Devon

1809

Not on view

A native of Exeter in Devon, Abbott was a prolific and accomplished draftsman who earned his living as an apothecary and surgeon. His work developed out of a friendship with the watercolorist Francis Towne (1739-1816), whose enthusiastic student, follower, and patron Abbott became. Basing most of his designs on sites near at hand, he adopted Towne's characteristic pen outlines, filled with monochrome or colored washes. Here, he joined nine small sheets of paper to create a design based on sketches made at Ugbrooke Park in Devon. The artist chose an uncultivated corner and focused on a crumbling bank undercut by a stream. He used delicate washes of gray, yellow, blue, and brown ink to describe variations in the foliage, soil, light, and shade, and demonstrated a naturalist's sensitivity to his subject. On the back of the mount, inscribed lines from Seneca attest to Abbott's delight in the purity of the stream, from which he must have sought refreshment while sketching.

Artwork Details

Title: Ugbrooke, Devon
Artist: John White Abbott (British, Exeter 1764–1851 Exeter)
Date: 1809
Medium: Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash and pale yellow, blue and brown watercolor; laid down on original paper mount with gray wash
Dimensions: sheet: 24 1/2 x 22 in. (62.2 x 55.9 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 2007
Object Number: 2007.38
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Cascade of the Aray at Inveraray (Scotland), John White Abbott British, Watercolor, pen and gray ink; laid down on original paper mount with brown wash — Cascade of the Aray at Inveraray (Scotland)
John White Abbott
June 30, 1791

The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite — The Lake of Zug
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1843

The Entombment, Sir Edward Burne-Jones British, Green, blue, brown and touches of reddish bodycolor, heightened with white gouache (bodycolor) on green paper — The Entombment
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1879

Loggia of the Ducal Palace, Venice, John Ruskin British, Watercolor over graphite — Loggia of the Ducal Palace, Venice
John Ruskin
1849–50

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) — Lady Lilith
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Henry Treffry Dunn
1867

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