Francis Towne
Encyclopedia
Francis Towne was a British watercolour landscape painter.
in Middlesex
the son of a corn chandler. In 1752 he was apprenticed to a leading coach painter in London, Thomas Brookshead. In 1759 he won a design prize from the Society of Arts, and studied for a while at St Martin’s Lane Academy; according to his pupil John White Abbott many years later, around this time he also studied under the court portraitist John Shackleton.
In 1763 Towne was employed by a coach painter called Thomas Watson in Long Acre, and went to Exeter
on business. He had already begun painting in oils and also taught drawing, and now he began to accept commissions from wealthy families in Devon.
After a tour of north Wale
s in 1777, undertaken with his friend, the Exeter lawyer James White (1744-1825), he began to specialize in water-colours.
In 1780 he travelled to Rome
, Italy spending a month in Naples
in 1781 with Thomas Jones
.
On his return to Devon, he was asked by Sir Thomas and Lady Acland of Killerton to paint some views in Devon and North Wales, and in 1786 he went on a painting tour of the Lake District
.
In the latter part of his career he was based in London.
Biography
Towne was born in IsleworthIsleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
the son of a corn chandler. In 1752 he was apprenticed to a leading coach painter in London, Thomas Brookshead. In 1759 he won a design prize from the Society of Arts, and studied for a while at St Martin’s Lane Academy; according to his pupil John White Abbott many years later, around this time he also studied under the court portraitist John Shackleton.
In 1763 Towne was employed by a coach painter called Thomas Watson in Long Acre, and went to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
on business. He had already begun painting in oils and also taught drawing, and now he began to accept commissions from wealthy families in Devon.
After a tour of north Wale
Wale
A wale is a broad, thick plank around the outside of a wooden ship.The garboard is the wale next to the keel; the gunwale is the top such plank and covers the heads of the timbers between the main and fore drifts....
s in 1777, undertaken with his friend, the Exeter lawyer James White (1744-1825), he began to specialize in water-colours.
In 1780 he travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy spending a month in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1781 with Thomas Jones
Thomas Jones (artist)
Thomas Jones was a British landscape painter. He was a pupil of Richard Wilson and was best known in his lifetime as a painter of Welsh and Italian landscapes in the style of his master. However, Jones's reputation grew in the 20th century when more unconventional works by him, ones not been...
.
On his return to Devon, he was asked by Sir Thomas and Lady Acland of Killerton to paint some views in Devon and North Wales, and in 1786 he went on a painting tour of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
.
In the latter part of his career he was based in London.
Further reading
- A. P. Oppe, 'Francis Towne, Landscape painter', in The Walpole Society; vol. 8 (1919-1920)
- Bury, Adrian. Francis Towne, Lone star of watercolour painting (London: Charles Skilton Ltd., 1962)
- Stephens, Richard. New material for Towne's biography (The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 138, No. 1121 (Aug., 1996), pp. 500–505).
- Wilcox, Timothy. Francis Towne (Tate, 1997).
- Hargraves, Matthew. Great British Watercolors: From the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale University Press, 2007) p. 30 ff.
External links
- Towne biography (responsesource.com)
- Towne biography and work (Lowell Libson Ltd.)
- Analysis of Towne's watercolour paintings (handprint.com)
- Francis Towne online (ArtCyclopedia)
- Great Works: Ambleside (1786), Francis Towne (The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 8 May 2009) - The Colosseum from the Caelian Hills (1799 painting)
- Ludlow castle (1777 painting - Christie's)
- Amblesie (watercolour at Bolton Museum and archive service)