Accession Number
2012/2.215

Title
Landscape with Tower and Distant Lake

Artist(s)
William Payne

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
late 18th century - early 19th century

Medium & Support
watercolor on wove paper

Dimensions
11 3/4 in x 16 1/2 in (29.85 cm x 41.91 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink

Label copy
William Payne
England, 1760–1830
Landscape with Tower and Distant Lake
Late 18th to early 19th century
Watercolor on wove paper
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink, 2012/2.215

Subject matter
This watercolor drawing depicts a picturesque landscape with rolling hills and a tower in the background. A group of travelers make their way across a shaded hill in the left foreground, while a herd of sheep and two donkeys rest in the sunlit fields in the mid-ground. In the far background there is a lake or similar body of water that separates this scene from a hazy series of hills in the distance. The atmospheric treatment of these hills transitions almost imperceptibly into the sky, which is depicted in a very light wash and takes up the upper half of the picture plane. Payne was known for a technique that substituted pen outlines to model form for pale gray washes that give his compositions a fluid, painterly touch.

Physical Description
Watercolor drawing of a hilly landscape with travelers in the left foreground, grazing animals in the middle ground, and a tower in the right background.

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
donkeys
hills
lakes (bodies of water)
landscapes (environments)
towers (single built works)
travelers (people by activity)
watercolors (paintings)