Sir Augustus Wall Callcott (1779-1844)
Travelling Tinkers c.1805-11
Oil on canvas | 63.8 x 76.9 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403646
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This painting is in the picturesque tradition (artistic landscapes that contain an element of wildness) and was influenced by J. M. W. Turner’s 'Sketch of a Bank with Gypsies' (Tate Britain) which was exhibited in 1809. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had been on friendly terms with Lady Callcott, the wife of the artist. When she died in 1843 Callcott was appointed Surveyor of Pictures by the Queen. A contemporary observed ‘the tact & Kindness the Queen had shown in offering poor old Sir Augustus Callcott the office of Inspector of Royal Pictures’. Callcott himself died in 1844, however, and the Queen and Prince Albert acquired this painting from his executors in 1845. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1811. Inscribed on the back with the name of the artist and the title.
Provenance
Acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
63.8 x 76.9 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
78.3 x 90.3 x 3.0 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)