Winchester College Publication English Watercolours from the Adam Crick Bequest | Page 8

Francis Towne 1739-1816
Going to Vicovaro, 1781
Pencil, pen and grey ink, grey/brown and blue washes
23.2 x 32.1 cm
Inscribed verso: ‘Going to / Castello Madamo Vicavasso / No.5 / April 22d. 1781 /
Sun on the left hand setting behind the extreme distance / Francis Towne’
V
icovaro lies at the head of the Licenza Valley in
Latium. In the late 18th century it was identified
as the site of Horace’s villa and soon became place of
pilgrimage for Grand Tourists. Francis Towne travelled
there from Rome, about 30 miles to the south west,
returning via Tivoli a few days later. He was clearly
captivated by the landscape around Vicovaro: this is one
of six views he made of the area, all dated 22 April.
Towne was born in Isleworth and apprenticed to a coach
painter in London. In the late 1760s he moved to Exeter
to work as a drawing master. In 1780, Towne travelled to
Italy at his own expense. He spent a year in Rome and
Naples, returning to England over the Alps. In Rome,
Towne worked alongside several of the leading English
watercolourists, but his style remained distinct from
theirs. He favoured strong pen outlines and broad washes
of colour. The effect is a stylised representation of the
landscape. This approach was at odds with the general
trend in late 18th century watercolour painting; most
other artists had abandoned outline drawing in search
of more naturalistic effects.
Towne was the first English draughtsman regularly to
note the time of day, and lighting conditions, on his
drawings. The inscription on the reverse of the present
drawing is typical: ‘Sun on the left hand setting behind
the extreme distance’. The evening light is effectively
conveyed in this almost monochrome drawing. Areas of
light blue indicate bright sun still falling on the mountain
sides, while overlapping washes of grey ink evoke the
deepening shadows beneath the trees.
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