SHAKESPEARE'S CLIFF, DOVER
watercolour-drawing
'Shakespeare's Clff, Dover' was exhibited by Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon, Bishop of Tasmania in the Hobart Town exhibition 1845 No.139 (Note that there was a mistake as to the proprietor printed in the catalogue and a manuscript correction was made). It was in the watercolours section. Being one of his five Turners it is almost certainly inherited from his father, the Rev. Robert Nixon who aquired it directly from Turner.
'Shakespeare's Clff, Dover' appeared in Sir William Richard Drake's executor's sale of 24th May 1892, lot 318, page 19, as 'Dover, with Shakespeare's Cliff'. This is evidence that the watercolour passed from Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon to Sir William and together with the evidence of the similar line of succession of 'The Country Waggon, Snowdon - Early Morning', 'Ruins of Sir Gregory Page Turner's House, Blackheath' and 'River Scene, View on the Dee' supports the proposition that all five of Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon's Turners were bought by Sir William Drake. However, whilst there is strong evidence that four of the Bishop's Turners were later owned by Drake there is no evidence for 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol' having passed to Drake.
What happened to Shakespeare's Cliff after
Drake's executor's sale of 24th May 1892?
If it is the watercolour now in the National Gallery of Ireland then
it must have been aquired by Henry Vaughan at some time between 1892 and
1900.
According to the Art Journal a JMW Turner 'Sea View off Dover' was auctioned at Christies on the 9th July 1864. However it was sold by Fordham; bought by Webster and is therefore unlikely to be this watercolour.
Sir WR Drake sale 1892-05-24 lot 318 page 19 as Dover, with Shakespeare's Cliff
not in Burlington 1871 etc
armstrong three possibilities 2 on p249 one on p250
