Bolton Abbey

c. late 1840s-1857

Bolton Abbey, c. late 1840s-1857. David Cox (British, 1783–1859). Watercolor with black chalk; sheet: 48.8 x 75.4 cm (19 3/16 x 29 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.552 This moody, broadly painted watercolor on rough, brown paper is emblematic of David Cox’s late style. Velvety grays and greens throughout the composition shift almost imperceptibly and streaks of blue wash, describing the distant hills and sky, are pierced by a sliver of brilliant yellow at the horizon. The ruined 12th-century priory is relegated to the background, nearly lost in the twilight. The neighborhood where Bolton Abbey was found was one of David Cox's favorite places to paint and the church appeared as a subject throughout his works from about 1828 through 1857.