Lodore Falls
Item
Title
Lodore Falls
Creator
Thomas Sunderland
English, 1744–1823
English, 1744–1823
Materials
Pen and brown and gray ink with brown and gray wash and watercolor over graphite
Measurements
14-1/8 x 11 in. (35.8 x 27.9 cm)
Description
Art was a second profession for Thomas Sunderland. A pioneer of the ore industry in northern England, he lived on the edge of the Lake District, in the Cumbrian Mountains along the west coast just south of Scotland. The region’s scenic beauty stimulated a turn toward drawing, and he became serious enough about the effort to seek lessons from landscape specialist J. R. Cozens and possibly Joseph Farrington, an exact contemporary of Sunderland’s who was well known for his paintings of the Lake District.
Although he traveled throughout Britain and continental Europe, Sunderland’s finest works capture views of his home region. The location of this drawing, known since it entered the museum’s collection under the somewhat generic title Waterfall Between Rocks, is suggested by an inscription, long thought to have been written by Sunderland himself, on the reverse of the mount, which identifies some of the surrounding geography, including the mountains in the background. The text, however, must be considered suspect, for Sunderland surely would have been aware that the central object of his attention here was Lodore Falls, a spectacular cascade that serves as one of the Lake District’s leading attractions.
Although he traveled throughout Britain and continental Europe, Sunderland’s finest works capture views of his home region. The location of this drawing, known since it entered the museum’s collection under the somewhat generic title Waterfall Between Rocks, is suggested by an inscription, long thought to have been written by Sunderland himself, on the reverse of the mount, which identifies some of the surrounding geography, including the mountains in the background. The text, however, must be considered suspect, for Sunderland surely would have been aware that the central object of his attention here was Lodore Falls, a spectacular cascade that serves as one of the Lake District’s leading attractions.
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
Identifier
72.3
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.