The Falls of the Clyde after a Flood
This dramatic watercolor responds to a site renowned for its natural beauty—the Falls of the River Clyde in Lanarkshire. Ward was one of Britain’s leading nineteenth-century animal painters and a powerful landscapist. He made this watercolor at a pivotal moment soon after being elected as a Royal Academician in June 1811. A walking tour of Scotland that autumn led to this waterfall, where a powerful flow of water between massive cliffs engages with forces at the heart of romantic naturalism. Around the same time, Ward began to plan Gordale Scar (1812-14, Tate), a monumental painting centered on a similar dramatic flow.
The Falls of the Clyde are, in fact, a series of four linns, or waterfalls, near the town of Lanark. Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, and Dundaff Linn lie above the town and Stonebyres Linn some distance below. The close view here makes it difficult to establish scale, but the work must describe either Corra Linn, with an eight-four foot drop, or one of the falls at Bonnington Linn, where a horseshoe shaped cliff thirty-four feet high divides the water into several falls.
The Falls of the Clyde are, in fact, a series of four linns, or waterfalls, near the town of Lanark. Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, and Dundaff Linn lie above the town and Stonebyres Linn some distance below. The close view here makes it difficult to establish scale, but the work must describe either Corra Linn, with an eight-four foot drop, or one of the falls at Bonnington Linn, where a horseshoe shaped cliff thirty-four feet high divides the water into several falls.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Falls of the Clyde after a Flood
- Artist: James Ward (British, London 1769–1859 Chestnut, Hertfordshire)
- Date: ca. 1811
- Medium: Watercolor with scratching out
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. (26.6 × 36.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.656
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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James Ward (British, London 1769–1859 Chestnut, Hertfordshire)
1800
James Ward (British, London 1769–1859 Chestnut, Hertfordshire)
June 1, 1800
Attributed to James Ward (British, London 1769–1859 Chestnut, Hertfordshire)
1801–59
James Ward (British, London 1769–1859 Chestnut, Hertfordshire)
1793
1793
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