COLLECTORS

Timelines First Owners

REV. ROBERT NIXON (1758-1837)
of Foots Cray Kent

In 1792 the 34 year old Rev. Robert Nixon lived in Foots Cray, Kent. He was known to support young artists including the then 17 year old JMW Turner. Nixon had bought works from Turner during a period that dated from at least 1790 when Turner was 15; a watercolour-drawing, 'Ruins of Sir Gregory Page Turner's House, Blackheath', dating from 1790, being amongst works bequeathed by Rev. Robert Nixon to his second son, Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon. A substantial part of Rev. Robert Nixon's collection was given to Francis Russell and that part is well documented. However, it is inconceivable that Rev. Robert Nixon would have given his entire collection to the second son to the exclusion of the first, George Russell Nixon born 1802. Furthermore, there is evidence that Rev. Robert Nixon donated works from his collection to public collections (1813, RSA). There is no documentation of George Russell's collection available (August 2021).

The works comprising Rev. Robert Nixon's collection are therefore largely identified from Francis Russell's collection. It is of interest because, in September1792, Turner visited Foots Cray, having come from Rochester, with a part drawn oil on canvas which commentators [noteably Thomas Miller] described as 'Rochester Castle with Fishermen Drawing Boats Ashore In A Gale of Wind' which he completed and gave (or sold) to Rev. Robert Nixon .This picture did not appear in Francis Russell's collection. (It has been conflated with 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground' by modern authors, notably Butlin and Joll, cat. No. 21, which was completed in Rochester and given to the daughter of Rev. James Douglas.). The picture which Turner painted for Rev. Robert Nixon in September 1792 can be readily identified from reference material held in Tasmania as 'The Country Waggon, Snowdon - Early Morning'.

The picture, 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol' exhibited in 1793 features in the collection of Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon, Bishop of Tasmania, and must also have been given (or sold) by Turner to Rev. Robert Nixon after the exhibition in the summer of 1793. This is the picture with which we have established a relationship with our 'Squall at St Vincent's Rock, Bristol'.

Rev. Robert Nixon of Foots Cray temp link to 70_10

Whereabouts of the picture temp link to 59_50

1. Addresses and Activities of Rev. Robert Nixon
(Relevant to the location of 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol'.)

1776 Christ Church age 17Alumni Oxoniensis

1793 Foots Cray, Kent. [Sketch by John Nixon (Rev. Robert Nixon's Brother) of Robert's Study at Foots Cray]

1793 Acquired 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol' from JMW Turner following its exhibition at the Royal Academy.

1799 Foots Cray, Kent [he married on 30/1/1799 his wife, Ann Russell (17/5/1766-5/8/1808) he 40, she 33]

1802 Foots Cray, Kent [his son, George Russell Nixon was born this year][]

1803 Foots Cray, Kent [his son, Francis Russell Nixon was born in August 1803]

1805 North Cray, Kent - his son Wyatt Russell Nixon was born ... birth and death

1805 North Cray, Kent [Rev. Robert Nixon was a fellow of the Linnean Society (1805)..page 5 ]

1808 North Cray, Kent [his wife, Ann Russell (17/5/1766-5/8/1808), died this year aged 42] Rev. Robert Nixon's address is Crayford House on Ann's parish register entry.[Parish Register][Gentleman's Magazine page 756 ... page 757]

1808 North Cray - his son Wyatt Russell Nixon died

1811 moved from North Cray to Old Charlton, Kent

1812 Old Charlton, Kent [ Linnean Soc.1812 shows him moved to Old Charlton]

1813 Rev. Robert Nixon presented five drawings by James Barry (1741-1806) to the Royal Society of Arts. Among them 'Drawing of a Male Nude Holding a Palm Branch' [RSA 'Transactions' 1814...Title Page] ... [Extract from RSA Website]

1814 Old Charlton, Kent [RSA Transactions 1814 page 241; Rev. Robert Nixon, Chaffcroft House, Charlton, Kent and 33, St. Mary Axe (London)]

1815 moved to London, St. Mary Axe [Linnean Soc.1816]

1818 Linnean List has him at St. Mary Axe - this would be his address in 1817 at the time of compilation

1818 London, Burr-street, East Smithfield [In the Gentleman's Magazine 1818 p 639 there is the death on May 16th 1818 of Cordelia Nixon age 52 the wife of Rev. Robert Nixon, of Burr St., East Smithfield.] [death of his brother John Nixon of Basinghall Street Gentleman's Magazine 1818 p644 ]

1819 Linnean List has him at St. Mary Axe - representing his address in 1818 but perhaps he failed to notify his new address

1820 Linnean List has him at St. Mary Axe - it seems that he again failed to notify his new address

1821 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, Tower - so he finally notified it in 1820 for publication in 1821

1822 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, East Smithfield

1823 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, East Smithfield

1824 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, East Smithfield

1825 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, East Smithfield

1826 Linnean List has him at Burr-Street, East Smithfield

1827 Rev. Robert Nixon moved to Scotland. He may have taken his collection with him or divided it between his two sons.

1827 Linnean List has him at Kenmure Castle, Kirkcudbright

1828 Kenmure Castle, Kirkcudbright, Scotland [ Linnean Soc.1828]

1837 In the Gentleman's Magazine 1838 p 104 there is the death of Rev. Robert Nixon on November 5th 1837, age 78, address: Kenmure Castle, New Galloway.

2. Rev. Robert Nixon's Collection

JMW Turner; 'The Country Waggon, Snowdon - Early Morning'; Oil on 'Rochester canvas'
1792; Painted at Foots Cray in 1792 and claimed by Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon, Bishop of Tasmania, to be Turner's first oil. However, Turner had, just before arriving at Foots Cray, acquired canvas in Rochester where he painted an oil on canvas which remained with the Douglas family before being sold to a Dr. Hering. (Dr. Hering auctioned his picture, 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Grounds', at Christies in 1860 but the sale was unsuccessful; There is no onward chain and the picture remains lost.)
Nixon's oil, 'The Country Waggon, Snowdon - Early Morning' must therefore be Turner's second oil (on canvas) and remained at Foots Cray with Nixon. The description provided by Miller and others, 'Rochester Castle with Fishermen Drawing Boats Ashore In A Gale of Wind', perhaps intended to describe Hering's picture appears to be unreliable when considered in the context of the so called 'Nephew's Letter'.
[Miller page xxvi], [Sketch by John Nixon (Rev. Robert Nixon's Brother) of Robert's Study at Foots Cray]

JMW Turner; 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol', oil on canvas (probably 'Rochester canvas')
1793; Painted (in London) at the end of 1792 or very early 1793. It was exhibited at the 1793 RA Exhibition and passed to Rev. Robert Nixon afterwards. It was later passed to his son, Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon, Bishop of Tasmania, and auctioned (unsuccessfully) (together with 'The Country Waggon') on 9th July 1864 by Joseph Hogarth at Christie's. [Record of sale of 9th July 1864 in The Art Journal 1864 page 267]
It is certain that this picture was bought in (with 'The Country Waggon') and returned to Joseph Hogarth. Buyer 'Reynolds' in the Art Journal was probably the failed bid. 'The Country Waggon' can be further traced to Sir William Ricard Drake and R. Hall McCormick.However, for 'The Rising Squall' there is no onward chain beyond Joseph Hogarth.. The implication is that Joseph Hogarth retained the picture. He died in 1879 in Paxton House, Station Road, West Drayton. It appears that the picture was abandoned at that address. (If it had remained in the gallery at 96 Mount Street and eventually sold there would almost certainly be some future record of it as there is for 'The Country Waggon').

'The Rising Squall hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol' was found in 2018 but is disputed and therfore currently described as 'Squall at St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol'.

'The Country Waggon' next appeared in Sir William Richard Drake's collection and appeared in his executor's sale; an account of this here. and there is a later appearance. (see below)

JMW Turner; River Scene, View on the Dee; Watercolour-drawing
@BURLINGTON; 1871, June 1; p74; No. 234; JMW Turner; River Scene, View on the Dee; Formerly in the collection of the Rev. Mr. Nixon, one of Turner's earliest patrons; Drawing; w x h: 8.75" x 5.75"; lent by: Sir William Drake
@CHRISTIE SALE CAT,1891,June 29,Christie's; "Sir William R. Drake.289 View on the Dee, signed Turner, Drawing
If this was painted during Turner's summer 1792 visit to the Narraways and onward to Wales then it could have been passed to Nixon during the September 1792 visit. This Welsh theme could therefore be a backdrop to the painting of 'The Country Waggon'.

JMW Turner; 'The Country Waggon, Snowdon - Early Morning' oil (on canvas)

CERTAIN
Art Journal Sept 1864, Armstrong page 232, Hogarth
This picture definitely descended to Nixon's second son, Rev. Dr. Francis Russell Nixon, Bishop of Tasmania, and was offered for sale (together with 'The rising squall, hot wells, from St. Vincent's rock, Bristol') on 9th July 1864 at Christie's. It is certain that this picture, unsold, was returned to 'Joseph Hogarth' (who was the seller at the 9th July sale) then Sir William Drake and then on to America in the collection of R. Hall McCormick.

It was mentioned above that Francis Russell Nixon was Rev. Robert Nixon's second Son. What then of the first Son, George? What works did he inherit from his father?

The other paintings from the 1793 exhibition

1793 (RA Exhibition)
View on the River Avon, watercolour
POSSIBLE
Undocumented
See page ref: 09_20.
Very likely the Bristol Watercolour. A curator, (Curator_1), apparently identified this as a 1793 exhibit. This was later discredited and the first (9th July 1864) transaction in his provenance refers to the oil not, as he thought, the watercolour. It is, however, possible that his only error was to attach the wrong title (due to the catalogue transposition). It would be wrong to discredit him entirely. The watercolour could have been bought by Nixon - there does not seem anyone better placed - Nixon definitely had The Rising Squall from the same exhibition. The trail picks up with Hull, Mrs Fussey, Rev. J Patton, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
In Christies sale of 27th April 1864 seller Leonard Huskinson
Remains at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

Gate of St. Augustine's Monastery, Canterbury
Painted in September 1792 on the same Kent Tour as the first two oils.
There was also the smaller version which could have been given to Rev. James Douglas, to Rev. Robert Nixon or to a contact in Canterbury. In the latter case the Narraways had a family connection in Canterbury through Richard Browne who married Mary Narraway (John Narraway's sister) in Barnstaple in 1767 and their daughter Mary Ann Browne born 1777 in Exeter; as of August 2023 it is not known whether they lived in Barnstaple, Bristol or Canterbury

This is reference to a 1977 auction that included a drawing of Rev. Robert Nixon's Studio. An image of the drawing was found but it did not show any sign of the St. Vincent's Rock Oil.