The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Bolton Abbey

Bolton Abbey

c. late 1840s-1857
(British, 1783–1859)
England, 19th century
watercolor with black chalk
Sheet: 48.8 x 75.4 cm (19 3/16 x 29 11/16 in.)
Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.552
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The neighborhood where Bolton Abbey was found was one of David Cox's favorite places to paint and the church appeared as a subject throughout his works from about 1828 through 1857.

Description

This moody, broadly painted watercolor on rough, brown paper is emblematic of David Cox’s late style. Velvety grays and greens throughout the composition shift almost imperceptibly and streaks of blue wash, describing the distant hills and sky, are pierced by a sliver of brilliant yellow at the horizon. The ruined 12th-century priory is relegated to the background, nearly lost in the twilight.
  • 1912
    (sale, Victor G. Fischer Company Collection, Anderson Galleries, New York, February 19, 1912, no. 655)
    ?-1931
    James Parmelee [1855-1931], Washington, DC, by descent to Alice Maury Parmelee
    1931-1940
    Alice Maury Parmelee [1866-1940], Washington, DC, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH through the Estate of James Parmelee
    1940-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Francis, Henry S. "The Bequest of James Parmelee." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 28, no. 2 (February 1941): 15-27, 31. Mentioned: p. 17 www.jstor.org
    Brumbaugh, Thomas B. "David Cox in American Collections." Connoisseur 197, no. 792 (February 1978): 83-88. Reproduced: p. 85, no. 5
    Lemonedes, Heather. British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Mentioned: pp. 70-73, 144, no. 22b; Reproduced: pp. 72-73
  • British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
    European Watercolors Through the 18th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 14-March 22, 1964).
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
  • {{cite web|title=Bolton Abbey|url=false|author=David Cox|year=c. late 1840s-1857|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.552