William Marlow: A Visitor to York in Contexts

yorkgeorgians
May 5
5 min read

Updated: May 8

by Allison Sharpe (YGS Communications Manager)

The Old Ouse Bridge, York, c. 1763

by William Marlow (1740-1813)

Oil on canvas

YORAG : 176; Purchased, 1902

Image courtesy of York Museums Trust

Well-regarded and successful in his lifetime, the painter William Marlow (1740-1813) is today represented in prestigious public collections worldwide. By contrast, little biographic detail is known about him. One firm period is 1765-1766, when Marlow travelled through France and Italy at the suggestion – and probably with the financial support – of Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (1716-1776). Back in Britain, the drawings he made en route provided material for a prolific output of continental paintings up to 1790, along with London views.

The Old Ouse Bridge, York, c. 1763 (or earlier)

by William Marlow (1740-1813)

Watercolour on paper

YORAG : 2002.24; Presented by Professor Luke Herrmann, 2002

Image courtesy of York Museums Trust

Marlow’s painting and watercolour both titled The Old Ouse Bridge, York, are in the collection of York Art Gallery, arriving there a century apart. This picture is probably, A View of Owse Bridge at York; taken from the great walk, which was exhibited at the Society of Artists in 1764. On stylistic grounds, too, it is likely that the works were made before Marlow’s overseas travels, and Richard Green suggests a date of about 1763. The watercolour appears to be a preliminary study, pre-dating the oil picture. A comparison of the two shows how in the final oil painting Marlow cropped the design, bringing the distant bridge and buildings closer to the viewer. The arches are heightened, more pronounced and eye-catching, while the sky is embellished with dramatically curving clouds and the water shimmers with reflections. All Saints’ Church, North Street (to the left) can be seen with its tall spire, but little else in the view remains recognisable; as the medieval bridge – including St William’s Chapel atop – went under demolition in 1810 (today’s structure opening in 1820).

A View of Tivoli, c. 1765 - c.1769

by William Marlow (1740-1813)

Oil on canvas

YORAG : 30; Gift from Alderman J.B. Morrell, 1944

Image courtesy of York Museums Trust

In A View of Tivoli, also at York, Marlow’s dramatising approach is more developed. Here he handles the quality of light skillfully in both the fall of sunlight through clouds onto the hilltop town, and the hint of a rainbow. He achieves a sweeping sense of aerial perspective, as the dark foreground contrasts with a pale distant landscape. The sense of the artist hitting his stride is tangible. Marlow exhibited four Tivoli pictures between 1767 and 1769. John Ingamells has noted that the York example might have been made in Italy and shipped to England. Conversely – and persuasively – he questions whether the light is Italian at all, suggesting that Marlow made the painting once home again, from a study done on the spot at Tivoli. As already mentioned, such was Marlow’s usual and clever business technique.

Westminster Bridge, the Surrey side, c. 1750

by Samuel Scott (c. 1702-1772)

Watercolour and black chalk, with touches of pen and ink

2010.231; Purchase. Joseph Pulitzer Bequest and PECO Foundation and Malcolm Hewitt Wiener

Foundation Gifts, 2010

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Marlow was in his mid-20s when he went on his seminal journey overseas. His exhibiting record shows that before then he had been to Wales and Worcester, as well as York. As a teenager in the later 1750s, Marlow was apprenticed to Samuel Scott (c. 1702-1772), an established topographical and marine painter with a Covent Garden studio. Both artists were influenced and inspired by the Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, ‘Canaletto’ (1697-1768), who was in London between 1746 and 1755. Scott’s watercolour of Westminster Bridge shows an economical but effective use of tone. His painting of the same subject when under construction in 1742 would have been one of a series made from 1747, after Canaletto’s arrival.

The Building of Westminster Bridge, undated

by Samuel Scott (c. 1702-1772)

Oil on canvas

44.56; Purchase. Charles B. Curtis Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1944

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Scott’s painting is of rich, jewel-like colours, the sky and water appear almost metallic owing to the use of smooth tonal transitions and bold juxtapositions. Meanwhile, in his St Paul’s and Blackfriars Bridge, Marlow demonstrates a similar sophistication, combining the intricate cityscape with contrasting textures of land, water and sky. However the hues are more muted and Marlow’s rendition of light is softer.

St Paul’s and Blackfriars Bridge, 1770-1772

by William Marlow (1740-1813)

Oil on canvas

B1976.7.54; Paul Mellon Collection

Image courtesy of Yale Center for British Art

The strength of Marlow’s draughtsmanship can be seen in The door of a grotto, where he uses lively, calligraphic brushwork with acutely observed low lights and tonal range. Not only is Marlow abstracting information about tone to eloquent effect, but his control of colour is cleverly subtle. The watercolour is almost monochrome, but by selecting just a few tints, he conveys an evocative sense of light and temperature.

The door of a grotto, c. 1765 - c. 1766

by William Marlow (1740-1813)

Watercolour and graphite

2014.147; Purchase, Jeffrey L. Berenson and Raymond Lifchez Living Trust Gifts, 2014

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Marlow had a studio in Leicester Fields, and was affluent enough to rent the manor at Twickenham in 1775, fully moving there ten years later. His subjects were chiefly London, France and Italy, and bridges were a frequent focus. Of Yorkshire he produced a smaller version of The Old Ouse Bridge, York (private collection); several views of Castle Howard – both house and grounds – as well as a ruined abbey. Although last exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1808, he really retired from painting in about 1796, and in later years took to making telescopes and other scientific instruments.

The author thanks Richard Green (YGS Vice-President) for points of information and insight.

References:

Algernon Graves, The Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760-1791 and Free Society of Artists, 1761-1783, 1907

Grove Art Dictionary Online

[John Ingamells], York Art Gallery. Catalogue of Paintings, Volume II, English School 1500-1850, York, 1963

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online

YGS Events for Your Diary

There are still a few places available on both the Farnley Hall (9 July) and Weston Hall (16 August) visits. Please buy your tickets via our website or contact the organiser, Adam Bowett, at adam@oldcowling.co.uk. Hurry - ticket sales end on 16th May!

Look out for future YGS events here

External Events to be Enjoyed

The Georgian Group

Tuesday 13 May at 6.30pm

Online lecture: The Camelia House, Wentworth Woodhouse

Architects Donald Insall Associates will discuss how the team transformed the GII* listed building and touch on their wider work at Wentworth Woodhouse.

Find out more and book here

York Civic Trust

Wednesday 21 May at 2.30pm

Blue plaques – a walking tour

Led by Dr. Dorothy Nott, discover some of the blue plaques around the City of York.

Find out more and book here

Gresham College – YouTube Channel

Catch up Online Anytime!

Canaletto’s London Legacy

Lecture by Dr Patricia Hardy