LITERARY EVIDENCE ~O~ The discovery of JMW Turner's oil on canvas exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1793 ~O~ LITERARY EVIDENCE

Literary Evidence - Chronology

This chronology runs from the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1793, for which there is a published catalogue, to the purchase of 'The Bristol Watercolour' by Bristol Museum in 1925.

In this study:

'The 1793 Hotwells Oil': is the actual oil that hung in the Anti-Room in 1793 and of which the Rev. Robert Nixon took posession after the 1793 exhibition.
'The Bristol Watercolour' is the watercolour-drawing that was purchased by Bristol Museum in 1925 as 'Hotwell House', renamed 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol', as such appeared in the Tate Turner Project research pages, (as illustrated in the abstract), and was later renamed 'Avon Gorge and Bristol Hotwell'.

The pages that follow this chronology examine evidence for and against the proposition that one of the 1793 exhibits was an oil, 'The 1793 Hotwells Oil', and, if so, its title and position in the exhibition. In the pages that follow this chronology each chronological point (except those shown in light green) is assigned a page and these pages are arranged in the following order:
...Pages start with the 1793 transfer of 'The 1793 Hotwells Oil' to the Rev. Robert Nixon. They then follow the chronological sequence to 1864. The 1866 - 1905 Redgrave-CF Bell Sequence follows en-bloc then the next sequence of chronological entries are examined, back-referencing to the Redgrave-CF Bell Sequence as necessary, through to the 1925 purchase of 'The Bristol Watercolour'. Finally the 1793 RA catalogue is examined in detail and it becomes apparent that two similar titles were transposed.

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1793 April to June The RA Exhibition Catalogue

1793 July to August: Evidence that the Rev. Robert Nixon of Foots Cray took posession of 'The 1793 Hotwells Oil'.

1852 Cunningham 'Memoir' preface to Burnet 'Turner and his Works': Evidence that 'The 1793 Hotwells Oil' was an oil which Cunningham called 'Rising Squall over St. Vincent's Rocks at Bristol' and that Turner painted a watercolour which Cunningham called 'The Avon, near St. Vincent's Rocks'.

1854 Miller 'Turner and Girtin Picturesque Tours'.Miller is silent as to the first exhibited oil - no separate page

1857 March - Nephew's Letter - published 1862 February (Archer) does not say anything about 1793 but does tell of canvas purchase in Rochester.Evidence that Turner was in Rochester before 1793 - no separate page

1862 February, Archer - Once A Week publication of 1857 March - Nephew's Letter - no separate page

1862 Thornbury, 'The Life of JMW Turner RA'; refers to a 'picture' as 'Rising Squall, Hot Wells'.

1864, 27th April, Christies Sale Catalogue - according to Redford. (Huskisson Sale)

1864, 9th July, Christies Sale Catalogue - according to Redford.(Hogarth Sale)

1864, September, The Art Journal, (27th April and 9th July were sales of Nixon's pictures.)

1864, after September, the picture itself is lost and the focus of literary comment becomes 'Turner's first exhibited oil'

1866 - 1905 Redgrave-CF Bell Sequence

1866 Richard and Samuel (writing 'A Century of Painters') examine the catalogues and conclude that Turner's first exhibited oil is 'Moonlight'.
1874 During the eight years since publication of 'A Century of Painters' Samuel discovered that Turner's first exhibited oil was 'The Rising Squall' in 1793 and that his second was 'Fishermen at Sea' in 1796. This information was published in 'A Dictionary of Artists'.
1878 A new edition of 'A Dictionary of Artists' was published after Samuel's death. (The first exhibit information was unchanged).
1890 A new edition of 'A Century of Painters' was published (Samuel and Richard were both deceased) but the compilers failed to change Turner's information in respect of Samuel's discovery of 1874.
1901 C F Bell clearly looked at the latest editions and thought incorrectly that the information in 'A Century of Painters' (originating from 1866) was updating 'A Dictionary of Artists' (originating from 1874).
1905 Gilbert sets out clearly in his 'History of Watercolour Painting in England'... The first exhibited oil was 1793 - The Rising Squall

1877 Thornbury Second Edition published during the Redgrave sequence after both originals but before both revisions

1878 Daryl - essentially a copy of redgrave 1874 - there appears to be no research

1887 Brockhaus: Published between the two Redgrave second editions; unequivocally states '1793', first oil, 'Rising Squall'. banner_1887_brockhaus.bmp

1888 Redford published 'Art Sales' (see entires above for 1864)

1879 Monkhouse: Published between the two Redgrave second editions Monkhouse is confused as to whether the first exhibited oil is 1793 or 1797.

1896 Tennant - Turner's biography short but includes 'first oil picture "The Rising Squall" was exhibited 1793'

1902 Armstrong (Agnews) - Does not mention 'The 1793 Hotwells Oil': but does mention the picture associated with it 'Waggoners, Snowdon'

1902 Chignall - 'JMW Turner RA'. Rather poorly informed and wrongly includes 'Dover Castle' (1787) amongst JMW Turner's exhibits.

1905 Gilbert Redgrave (Part of the Redgrave-CF Bell sequence above). Confirms first oil 1793 this could be the last mention of 1793 oil

1905 Wyllie - a repeat of the erroneous CF Bell interpretation - the important point here is that the erroneous CF Bell interpretation became established

1910 Finberg 'Turner's Sketches and Drawings' makes no mention of a 1793 oil. Much of this book is based on Wyllie and therefore on CF Bell.

1925 Bristol Museum - The 'Bristol Watercolour' was misidentified as 'The Rising Squall - Hot Wells from St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol' and the concept of a 1793 oil, eliminated.