View on the River Wye, looking towards Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire

John Martin (1789 - 1854)

Chepstow Museum

1844

An impressive, atmospheric panorama, with the town of Chepstow suffused with a sunlit haze. Martin exhibited four watercolours of views on the Wye at the Royal Academy between 1845 and 1850. Three are in public collections in the UK, America and Canada and this work may be the fourth one. The Wye valley panoramic paintings epitomise the 'sublime', conveying a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur, vastness and atmosphere. This painting of Chepstow takes in a much wider sweep than the majority of views of the Castle which is usually the focus of pictures from this spot. This is the first local view of this calibre to be acquired by the museum.

• Medium: watercolour over pencil
• Dimensions: 29.5 x 71.5cm (11 5/8 x 28 1/8in.)
• Art Fund Grant: £11000 ( Total: £35,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2009
• Vendor: Martyn Gregory Gallery

Provenance

Jessie Cantwell; by descent; Sotheby's, 1988; Martyn Gregory Gallery.

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