A River Landscape with a Wooden Bridge
George Barret the Elder (Dublin c.1732 - Paddington 1784)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1762 - 1784
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
876 x 1257 mm (34 1/2 x 49 1/2 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 515463
Caption
Barret came from Ireland in 1762 and quickly established himself as a successful landscape painter in the manner of Richard Wilson. Like Wilson, he was a Founder Member of the Royal Academy and he regularly exhibited landscape paintings. Most of his works have specific titles indicating the exact places he visited and portrayed.Unusually, this pair of images are imaginary and show Barret least himself; here he seems to be imitating, on the one hand, Wilson in the 'picturesque', classical landscape with the ruined tower, while, on the other hand, Salvator Rosa, in the more 'sublime' image of the landscape with the ricketty bridge.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, A River Landscape with a Wooden Bridge by George Barret the elder RA (Dublin 1732 - Paddington 1784). Imaginary landscape with rickety bridge made of tree trunks and branches, over torrent with rocky banks at each side, in middle distance a ruined tower on a promontory. Label on frame 'G. Barret 1728-1784'. George Barret was born in Dublin, the son of a clothier, studied at Academy of West in Dublin. He came to England in 1762 and became member of Society of Artists in 1764, and one of original members of Royal Academy. He was appointed master painter to Chelsea Hospital.
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896-1966) with the house and the rest of the contents.
Credit line
Anglesey Abbey, The Fairhaven Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
George Barret the Elder (Dublin c.1732 - Paddington 1784) , artist
References
Herrmann 1973 Luke Herrmann, British Landscape Painting of the 18th Century, 1973, p. 62