{"product_id":"james-burrell-smith-1822-1897-victorian-watercolour-view-of-kelso-abbey","title":"James Burrell Smith (1822 - 1897). Victorian Watercolour. View of Kelso Abbey","description":"\u003cp\u003eJames Burrell Smith was a landscape painter and watercolourist. He was a celebrated Victorian artist who painted in both watercolour and in oils. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was born in 1822 in the south of England and in 1843 he moved to Alnwick, Northumberland. He studied under the Newcastle artist, Thomas Miles Richardson Senior.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBurrell Smith travelled widely around the UK depicting a variety of landscape views and architectural sites. His subjects included views in the Lake District, Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. His sensitive and meticulously observed watercolours were exhibited from a property at Suffolk Street, London from 1850 to 1881.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt this time he also was employed as a drawing master and built up an extensive teaching practice which concentrated on the techniques of watercolour painting. In the 1850s he sent a selection of works for exhibition at the Society of British Artists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis works are in the following collections: the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; National Gallery of Wales, Cardiff; Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. A particularly fine large watercolour looking across Princes Street Gardens by Burrell Smith is in the collection of the National Gallery of Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBurrell Smith died in London at West Kensington in 1897.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis small-scale watercolour is a beautiful work by the artist - it is signed and dated 1888 along the bottom edge, It is a more miniature size and is certainly very jewel-like in its attention to detail. The artist has recorded a ruinous medieval abbey set against a vibrant blue sky. It is certainly reminiscent of watercolours by Turner of similar architectural subjects. The use of two little figures in the front of the composition - is a device that was often used by Turner to give an impression of scale and make the building look more magnificent. The colours and the meticulous attention to detail are certainly not that far removed from studies made by Turner for publication in guidebooks. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe watercolour is a meticulous study and relates to a nearly identical vignette that was featured in a sheet of \"Border Sketches. Kelso\" (as included here for illustrative purposes). These Kelso engravings were published in\u003cspan\u003e \"The Illustrated London News\", 15 October 1887 and Smith probably returned to his popular subject and worked it up into this jewel-like watercolour some months later.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a rare chance to purchase a fabulous little watercolour by a currently much-overlooked and underrated Victorian British artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is fresh to the market - having been in our own personal collection for decades. It is a superb example by Burrell Smith and is of museum quality. It is in excellent condition and has no fading or damage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImage size: 17.2 x 12.5 cm. Frame size: 38 x 30 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUK Postage will be with Royal Mail Medium Parcel. This will be applied to your order at checkout. Please select a signed for service so I can apply insurance in transit for you. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iconic Edinburgh","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40352736247872,"sku":"MUSSELBURGH on wall","price":425.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0271\/1902\/6240\/files\/james-burrell-smith-1822-1897-victorian-watercolour-view-of-kelso-abbey-british-art-260.webp?v=1790249467","url":"https:\/\/www.iconicedinburgh.co.uk\/products\/james-burrell-smith-1822-1897-victorian-watercolour-view-of-kelso-abbey","provider":"Iconic Edinburgh","version":"1.0","type":"link"}