Architecture

Bath: South View of Bath

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

Bath: The North Parade

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

Bath: The New Bridge

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

Bath: Queen Square

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

Bath: The Crescent

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

Bath: The Circus

1773

A print of an etching, originally hand coloured with grey wash. Published according to Act of Parliament November 30 1773 by print makers John Robert Cozens. One of a collection of six famous landmarks in the City of Bath.

A Bridge and Campanile, Venice

Artist: John Singer Sargent

Date:  1902

John Singer Sargent, 1856 - 1925, was an American expatriate artist considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He painted nearly a thousand oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolours, as well as sketches and charcoal drawings.

Sargent was born in Florence, Italy, to American parents and so grew up on two continents. He travelled widely throughout his life and visited Venice several times between 1898 and 1913.  Although he painted a number of preliminary oil paintings and studies which supported future pieces, the watercolours were always something personal for Sargent and he gifted them to family and friends, or held on to them.

If you love his style do please add his name to the search bar - you'll find other architectural paintings and portraits.

Pavement, Cairo

Artist: John Singer Sargent

Date:  1891

John Singer Sargent, 1856 - 1925, was an American expatriate artist considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He painted nearly a thousand oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolours, as well as sketches and charcoal drawings. His works show worldwide travel, from Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, the Middle East, Montana, Maine, and Florida.

Sargent's early enthusiasm was for landscapes, as shown by his numerous sketches of mountains, seascapes, and buildings. In 1879 he was a part of Carolus-Duran’s atelier in Paris where he painted a portrait of his teacher to much acclaim. Carolus-Duran's expertise in portraiture finally influenced Sargent in that direction. His best portraits reveal the individuality and personality of the sitters; his most ardent admirers think he is matched in this only by Velázquez.

This painting represents the Mosque of Sulayman Pasha al-Khadim in Cairo’s citadel complex from his travels to Egypt in 1891. Built in 1528, it is considered the first Ottoman-style mosque in Egypt. With quick brushstrokes and a range of muted colours, he captures the interior courtyard at a tranquil moment with dappled sunlight. The low vantage point shows off the detailed marble floor.

Untitled Interior View

Artist: Walter Gay
Date:1856-1937

Walter Gay was born in Massachusetts and introduced the art world by his uncle a Boston Painter. In 1876 he moved to Paris with his wife. He studied with Leon Bonnat and was then encouraged to move to Spain to learn from Vélazquez and also Mariano Fortuny , both important influences on his use of light, understanding of colour and brushwork style. He won numerous awards and was asked to represent the United States at the Exposition Universelle in 1889. He started with still lifes, then peasant and factory workers scenes but by 1895 he had created his own genre - opulent decadent interiors, both in gorgeous French Chateaux and fashionable private homes. He avoided painting people into these scenes concentrating on the exquisite details of the interiors and furnishings but somehow gave the feeling that someone had only just left the room. By the late 19th Century known as the "Dean of American Artists in Paris" (The New York Times) his school was THE destination for many newly arrived American artists. Henry Bacon was just one of his students who went on to have an illustrious career.

The Boudoir - Château de Chaalis

Artist: Walter Gay
Date:1914

The seriously stunning Château de Chaalis is around 40km from Paris and yes you can visit it, it's an art museum.  It was originally a Cistercian Abbey but what the monks would say about this fabulous boudoir is worth wondering about!  This version of the château was built in 1739 and at the time of this painting the Château was owned by Nélie Jacquart, an artist herself and a member of a rich banking family. She bought the Château after the death of Madame de Vatry and inherited the furnishings and amazing Vatry Murat art collection along with the château itself. She spent a fortune on it - installing electricity, heating and a telephone. She remodelled and renovated the whole château and was obviously immensely proud of it which is perhaps why Walter Gay was invited along to record it in all its glory. On her death in 1912 her will stated that the Château should become an art museum 'Abbaye Royale de Chaalis -Musée Jaquemart-André" open to all - what a gift.

Pont Valentre

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1926

The Pont Valentré is in Cahors in southern France. The first stone of this beautiful six arched bridge crossing the Lot River was laid on the 17th June 1308, which seems mindblowingly precise. It was finally open for business on 1350 and not finished completely for another 30 years . This symbol of the city has another name, it is known locally as Le Pont Du Diable (the Devil's Bridge). Legend goes that the foreman of the bridge building was infuriuated by the slow pace of construction and he signed a pact with the Devil himself to speed up the construction. The Devil said that if he carried out all the foreman's orders and the bridge was finished on time then the foreman's soul would be his. The bridge was built on time but the foreman (predictably) regretted his decision so gave a final order to the Devil - that he go and collect water for all the builders, using only a sieve. In revenge for being tricked the Devil sent a demon to the central tower each night to loosen the final stone, so it was never finished and had to be repaired. In the 1879 restoration of the bridge they added a little stone devil to the top of the central 'Devil's' Tower. It has been a world heritage site since 1998.

Church At Segovia

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1920

Segovia is a beautiful old city around 50 miles north west of Madrid. It is set on a plain in front of stunning snow topped mountains of the Sistema Central. It is famous for its historic buildings including the castle which apparently served as one of the templates for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle. Unfortunately I couldn't find out exactly which church this is in the city, there are around 15.

Tower At Enkhuisen

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1897

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

The Zwinger Towers

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1926

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

The Doorway

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

San Francisco Romano - Rome

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Latin Quarter Paris

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Winchester - England

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Nuremberg City Wall

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Carcassonne Battlements

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Finnish Interior

Artist: Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt
Date:1854-1905

Edelfelt was one of the first Finnish artists to achieve international fame. He is known for his naturalistic and realist style of art with an eclectic wealth of subjects. He enjoyed considerable success in Paris, including a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889. He focused on history painting in the beginning of his career.He also painted portraits of many famous people, including his friend Louis Pasteur, Aino Ackté, and the Russian imperial family. The painting of Louis Pasteur won him the Legion of Honour in 1886 at the exhibition at the Paris Salon. In Finland, he was one of the founders of the Realist art movement. He influenced several younger Finnish painters in Antwerp and Paris, where he learned the practice of En Plein Air. He liked "En Plein Air" because documenting contemporary reality rather than historical scenes was popularat the time period. He focused on naturalism and his paintings showed off the Finnish countryside and lifestyle.

Naples Through A Window

Artist: Franz Ludwig Catel
Date:1824

Doesn't this picture just transport you straight to this room in the Bay of Naples? Is it a living room or a bedroom? Early morning or late afternoon with the slightest breeze ruffling those muslin curtains? Has the dog just seen his master approaching in the street? So many questions. Catel was born at Berlin in 1778. He began his artistic career by carving in wood, and then designed book illustrations. In 1807 he went to Paris, where he studied oil painting. In 1812 he was in Rome where he followed the new classic school of landscape, working hard on his perspective and gaining a great mastery over light and shade. He was an amusing companion as well as a talented artist and a great favourite of German noblemen visiting Rome; there he met the future King Ludwig I of Bavaria, whom he painted surrounded by his friends in “Crown Prince Ludwig in the Spanish Wine Cellar”. The success of his paintings made him prosperous enough to be able to set up and entirely finance a fund for young artists in Rome. He died in Rome in 1856.

Boston Street Scene

Artist: Edward Mitchell Bannister

Date:1895

1828 – 1901 Bannister, a Black Canadian–American Tonalist painter was the son of a black immigrant from Barbados. Initially a seaman, he settled in Boston, where he made a living as a hairdresser and as a hand-tinter of photographs. He began his professional practice as a photographer and portraitist.  With the encouragement of his wife, Christiana Carteaux, he turned to painting and his signature style atmospheric idealised landscapes and seascapes was popular, especially in Boston. Both he and his wife were members of Boston's abolitionist movement. He was the first African-American artist to win a national award, but the judges were surprised by his ethnic background. For years, Bannister painted landscapes with muted colours that recalled the works of the French Barbizon school. However, in this painting, one of his last works, painted during a stay in Boston in the late 1890s, Bannister adopted a much more vivid palette.

Antwerp Cathedral

Artist: Cass Gilbert
Date:1859-1934

Cass Gilbert was  a prominent American architect as well as a gifted artist. He believed that architecture should reflect history and traditions.  He was also an early adopter of the 'skyscraper' and his designs include the famous gothic landmark "Woolworth Building", which was the tallest building in the world until 1930. He designed the United States Supreme court along with Capitol Buildings and Art Museums across many other states.  He was born in Ohio and studied architecture for a year before setting off around Europe on a Grand Tour in 1880. Many of Gilbert's imaginative designs recalled and reinterpreted details of European buildings seen on his Grand Tour and typified the popular styles of the era. He was the president of the American Institute of Architects (1908-9) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33) and was a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from its founding in 1910 until 1916. He died on a trip to England in 1934.

Hall In A Gothic Mansion

Artist: James Pattison Cockburn
Date:1832

Born in 1779 in New York into a military family, Pattison Cockburn was an army officer and watercolourist. He learnt to draw whilst at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, where he showed himself to be an excellent topographer with a good sense of perspective - very useful in the days before photography. He travelled all over the world, Cape Colony, Manila, England, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Cadiz ….  He had a long military career and retired with the rank of Major-General. Throughout his time in the army, he sketched and produced a steady flow of travel books which he illustrated himself.

 

Unidentified Country House

Artist: John Sanderson
Date: active 1730 -1774

Sadly I can find little information about John Sanderson other than that he was a London architect active from 1730-1774. He produced architectural drawings of country houses, both exterior and interior views, including Langley Park in Norfolk. He worked on the interiors of Kirklington Park and seems to have specialized in architectural decoration in a predominantly Palladian design. He was also involved in redesigning and rebuilding Kelham Hall, Nottinghamshire, in 1730 after the first hall was destroyed by fire. You can see the finished result in Salvin's painting of the hall at Musée No 737.137.

Unidentified Country House Floor Plan

Artist: John Sanderson
Date: active 1730-1774

Sadly I can find little information about John Sanderson other than that he was a London architect active from 1730-1774. He produced architectural drawings of country houses, both exterior and interior views, including Langley Park in Norfolk. He worked on the interiors of Kirklington Park and seems to have specialized in architectural decoration in a predominantly Palladian design. He was also involved in redesigning and rebuilding Kelham Hall, Nottinghamshire, in 1730 after the first hall was destroyed by fire. You can see the finished result in Salvin's painting of the hall at Musée No 737.137.

Kings Weston Bristol

Artist: Sir John Vanburgh
Date: 1710

Sir John (1664 – 1726) is best known as the architect of Blenheim Palace but along with that he was a dramatist and a herald (what a fabulous business card that would be!). He was a radical throughout his life and was part of a plot to overthrow James II with William of Orange. He was imprisoned by the French for nearly 5 years on a charge of espionage (trumped up he claimed) for allegedly carrying messages to and from William. He wrote to the Sun King, Louis XIV, to complain about his conditions and ended up finishing his time at the infamous Bastille in Paris. Once released he spent three months in Paris, free to move around but unable to leave the country, so he occupied his time looking at architecture "unparalleled in England for scale, ostentation, richness, taste and sophistication". His Restoration plays were seen as scandalous for their explicitness but also because he defended women’s rights in marriage. Vanburgh is thought to have had no formal training but his friendships with the influential of the day led to a successful architectural career in the “English Baroque’ style, and was seen as bold and daring. His most famous designs are Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace, Kings Weston House & Seaton Delaval Hall.