Enfilade

Eighteenth-Century Watercolours from the Royal Academy Collection
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, London, 9 March — 16 May 2010

Francis Wheatley "Figures and Cattle by a Lake," 1795. Pencil and watercolour. Photo © Royal Academy of Arts, London.

This display features watercolours by leading British artists of the eighteenth century including J. M. W. Turner, Paul Sandby and Michael ‘Angelo’ Rooker. The works on display were originally part of a collection assembled by the architect John Yenn RA (1750–1821) who bought watercolours, prints and drawings from his friends and fellow artists. Yenn gravitated towards topographical scenes and the display includes impressive views of Durham Cathedral and Battle Abbey. He also shared in the late eighteenth-century enthusiasm for historic ruins, represented here by watercolours of Valle Crucis Abbey and Kenilworth Castle.