Study of trees by a mountain stream

1833–45

Not on view

A leader of the Bristol School, Müller’s life was cut short by illness at the height of his powers. Influenced by the expressive naturalism of John Sell Cotman, whose works he studied in the collection of a friend, the Rev. James Bulwer, Müller sketched out of doors in all weathers. In the 1830s he traveled to Europe and the Middle East, but likely found the present subject closer to home. The mountains of Wales were not far from Bristol, and Muller visited them in the winter of 1842 and autumn of 1843. The sparse leaves clinging to a branch in this drawing link the work to the latter tour, while the free execution is characteristic of the artist’s late style.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Study of trees by a mountain stream
Artist: William James Müller (British, Bristol 1812–1845 Bristol)
Date: 1833–45
Medium: Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray card
Dimensions: Sheet: 5 11/16 × 8 9/16 in. (14.5 × 21.7 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2017
Object Number: 2017.238
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By William James Müller

In the same medium

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Standing Turkish Youth, William James Müller British, Watercolor over graphite — Standing Turkish Youth
William James Müller
1844

Umbrella pines in the Villa Borghese, Rome, William James Müller British, Watercolor over graphite underdrawing, with stippling, washes and reductive techniques, selectively coated with gum arabic — Umbrella pines in the Villa Borghese, Rome
William James Müller
1839

A woodland scene at dusk (recto); A study of trees and foliage (verso), William James Müller British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray paper — A woodland scene at dusk (recto); A study of trees and foliage (verso)
William James Müller
1833–45

Müller's Sketches of the Age of Francis 1st

Multiple artists/makers

1841

The Burning of the Mansion House, Queen Square, Bristol, William James Müller British, Watercolor with gouache (bodycolor) and reductive techniques — The Burning of the Mansion House, Queen Square, Bristol
William James Müller
1831–32

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