Francis Nicholson (1753-1844) - 19th Century Watercolour Figures on a Bridge

Description

Two figures stand on a bridge overlooking a rocky gorge in this Romantic watercolour scene by British artist Francis Nicholson (1753-1844). An inscription on the verso identifies the location as near Knaresborough in Yorkshire, not far from where the artist lived and worked in Pickering. Signed to the reverse. Well presented in a gilt frame. On paper.

Condition

The condition is typical for a picture of this age, including some discolouration to the paper. Marks and scuffs to the frame.

Size

32.5 x 22.5cm (12.8" x 8.9")
Framed Size: 60 x 49cm (23.6" x 19.3")

Artist Biography

Francis Nicholson (1753-1844) was a British landscape artist born in Pickering, North Yorkshire. He studied with a local artist in Scarborough, before beginning his career in his native Pickering, producing sporting pictures and portraits for a variety of Yorkshire patrons. By the mid-1780s he was also making paintings of country houses, leading him to concentrate on landscapes in watercolour. He moved to London in about 1803, and became a founder-member of the Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1804. He was a regular exhibitor at the Society of Painters in Watercolours, and also exhibited at the Royal Academy. Later in life he would publish a handbook on watercolour painting. His self-portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery.