Greenwhich Hospital by David Cox (1783–1859). 1831. Watercolor over graphite (recto); graphite (verso), on off-white wove paper, 10 9/16 x 14 3/4 inches. (26.8 x 37.5 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Rogers Fund, 1907. Accession Number 07.283.1 Click on image to enlarge it.
From the Metropolitan Museum website
This quick sketch brims with useful information: near the top of the sheet, between the paired columns, touches of blue watercolor (and, elsewhere, the word "blue") indicate the color of the sky; at the upper right, a triangle of brown wash suggests a pediment; in the center, swift strokes of black, red, and blue describe figures dressed in naval uniform. Cox began his career as a theatrical scene painter and rose to become one of the leading watercolor artists of the nineteenth century. He first exhibited views of Greenwich in the early 1820s, but the bold handling of the present sketch suggests a later date.
Last modified 6 May 2017