An ivy covered ruin

late 1780s–early 1790s
Not on view
This watercolor likely represents a ruin in Wales, with the inscription and number 57 connecting it to a series that Towne made when he traveled there in 1777. The style is more consistent, however, with his work of the next decade, so the artist must have returned to or reworked an earlier composition, a characteristic practice. Layered colored washes in the trees resemble those in his "The Cascade in the Groves at Ambleside," 1786 (Private Collection), while the massively buttressed medieval ruin overgrown with greenery demonstrates Towne’s engagement with the picturesque.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: An ivy covered ruin
  • Artist: Francis Towne (British, Isleworth, Middlesex 1739–1816 Exeter)
  • Date: late 1780s–early 1790s
  • Medium: Watercolor with pen and brown ink with traces of graphite
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 8 1/4 × 10 1/2 in. (20.9 × 26.6 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Roberta J. M. Olson and Alexander B. V. Johnson, in memory of Laurie Vance Johnson and E. Dudley H. Johnson, 2013
  • Object Number: 2013.1121.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.