Ugbrooke, Devon

A native of Exeter in Devon, Abbott was a prolific and accomplished draftsman who earned his living as an apothecary and surgeon. His work developed out of a friendship with the watercolorist Francis Towne (1739-1816), whose enthusiastic student, follower, and patron Abbott became. Basing most of his designs on sites near at hand, he adopted Towne's characteristic pen outlines, filled with monochrome or colored washes. Here, he joined nine small sheets of paper to create a design based on sketches made at Ugbrooke Park in Devon. The artist chose an uncultivated corner and focused on a crumbling bank undercut by a stream. He used delicate washes of gray, yellow, blue, and brown ink to describe variations in the foliage, soil, light, and shade, and demonstrated a naturalist's sensitivity to his subject. On the back of the mount, inscribed lines from Seneca attest to Abbott's delight in the purity of the stream, from which he must have sought refreshment while sketching.