David Cox Snr (1783–1859)

Watercolour over pencil, 16.5 x 24 cm (61/2 x 91/2 in), Signed, Circa 1830.

The River Thames proved a great attraction for artists in the early 19th century. Cox’s teacher from 1808, John Varley, had made a specialty of such scenes, and of all his pupils, Cox was to profit most from his teacher’s advice to seek inspiration from this source. The confident handling of all the elements-the massed clouds, the distant sails, and the tavern on the banks of the river - all point to a picture of Cox’s early maturity, when he had acquired enough skill to be elected to the O.W.C.S in 1813. An inscription on the reverse in a later hand is probably wrong in calling the vessel here a Peter boat ( which was larger) though correct in identifying the inn as the Halfway House at Gravesend. Fishing boats such as these with a net in readiness and a box for the catch in the stern were a common sight on the Thames and were one of a number of picturesque details which encouraged early artists to seek inspiration from the Thames.