| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | John Pye after J.M.W. Turner |
| Published | Published February 13th 1818. By James Wyatt Carver and Gilder, High Street, Oxford. as the Act directs. |
| Dimensions | Image 406 x 606 mm |
| Notes |
Dedication below title states: 'To the Right Honourable John Scott, Baron Eldon, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, High Steward of the University of Oxford. This Plate Engraved by John Pye after an original Picture by J.M.W.Turner Esq. R.A. Professor of Perspective to the Royal Academy. Is dedicated with Permission by his Lordship's most obliged & very humble Servant, James Wyatt.' A companion print to Turner's view of the High Street this fine view of the city beyond the village of South Hinksey gives a splendid portrait of tranquillity compared with the hustle and bustle of the countryside round Oxford today. A landscape steeped in history is united with scenes of rural productivity by the diffusion of light and shadow caused by the sky. Inspired by the landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Turner's work seems to adhere to the seventeenth-century concept of houding. The idea of houding proffered the idea that spatial recession could be achieved through the layering of tone and object. Thus, depth and distance are attained in a painting through the juxtaposition of light and dark. This can be seen in Turner's work as the light falls in sweeping fragments. Cows are eclipsed in shade but the chain of sheep are illuminated. Trees are dim but pastures beyond shimmer. On the horizon, the cityscape itself is divided into differing shards of tone. John Pye (1782-1874) was a British printmaker, writer and publisher. Born in Birmingham, Pye relocated to London in 1801 where he took residence in Cirencester Place and worked for many book publishers. As an illustrator for popular art annuals, he executed plates for landscapes by J. M. W. Turner, Claude Lorrain, and Gaspard Poussin amongst others. Preceding his Oxfordian views, Pye collaborated with Turner on James Hakewill's Italy as well as the History of Richmondshire. Pye grew more literary in his later years and in addition to his strong advocacy for the inclusion of engravers in the Royal Academy, he published a work entitled the Patronage of British Art. Condition: Pressed diagonal crease to upper left corner. Surface abrasion to right centre of image. Light creases to sky. Framed in an antique style gilt frame. |
| Framing | framed |
| Price | £1,550.00 |
| Stock ID | 43468 |