Mid 1840s Transition period, UK
4.1 Nr Torquay (Thatcher Rock) Rev J L Petit (1801-68)
c1844, 32x24cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
There are fewer completed landscapes during this period. Yet the best have a similar awe-inspiring composition as his churches, and he often mentions the comparison in describing his travels, noting that the works of God dispel all thoughts of the works of man.
4.2 Clifton Church, Staffordshire, Rev J L Petit
c1844, 32x25cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
From one of the albums used in preparation for his second, and most beautiful book, Remarks on Architectural Character. Petit collected several hundred examples of mixed styles to reiterate its diverse beauty resist conformity and destructive restoration.
4.3 Great Malvern, Worcestershire, Rev J L Petit
c 1843, 20×26 cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
Malvern church features in Petit’s first book, this is a more distant view taken a few years later, typical of this period in his work, with foreground and background becoming sketchier to draw attention to the church.
4.4 Byland Abbey, Yorkshire, Rev J L Petit
c 1845, 32×23 cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
Another of the series of English ruins to bring out the violence of the architecture
4.5 Ilam Rock, Dovedale, Staffs, Rev J L Petit
c1844, 32x24cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
Dovedale had been painted by Petit many times earlier. This is the last known and most dramatic and a very rare fully worked watercolour for this period. Later landscapes would become much more impressionistic. (see 6 below)
4.6 Isle of Man, view, Rev J L Petit
c1844, 19x24cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
Petit visited the Isle of Man around 1843 and wrote an article for the Archaeological Journal on Peel Castle and nearby ruins a couple of years later. He maintained strong links to the island and his support to the local vicar is noted in Isle of Man historical records.
4.7 Buildwas Abbey, Shropshire, Rev J L Petit
c1844, 22x34cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
A favourite location of Petit while he lived near Shifnal from 1834 until moving back to the family home in Lichfield c 1850. A rare finished landscape from this period.
4.8 Skelton Church, Yorkshire, Rev J L Petit
c 1844, 32×24 cm, watercolour on paper, private collection
A typical architectural sketch from that period. This watercolour was used as the basis for the illustration no 15 in Remarks on Architectural Character (1845). “The only Early English church free from later additions is Skelton, in Yorkshire, but this is small and specific…”