A Bridge near Llangollen
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Research by Marie Riley
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Acc No 162
Artist H Elliot Artist dates unknown Medium oil on canvas Size 22.8 x 27.9 cm (oval) Date painted unknown Donor Charles L Snelson, 1872-1960 formerly of 3 St Annes Road East, Lytham St Annes Date donated 20 September 1954 Donated with Acc No 163 (Shore Scene with Boats, Cornwall) Acc No 150 (Rocky Coast Scene at Sunset, Devon) |
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ARTIST
This painting was previously attributed by the Public Catalogue Foundation to John Elliott (1858-1925) but the signature in the bottom right very clearly reads ‘H Elliot’. There is no trace of an 'H Elliot' in the Grove Art Online catalogue or in Christopher Wood’s The Dictionary of Victorian Painters. Census records from 1841 to 1911 do not indicate anyone of this name who might be considered a likely fit. The artist may well have been an amateur. PAINTING The painting depicts a bridge near Llangollen, which is in Denbighshire, north-east Wales. Llangollen is situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. The eye is drawn to the bottom third of this circular painting where the rounded arch of the bridge is mirrored by the curves of the sloping river banks either side. Irregular-shaped boulders frame the mouth of the arch. The brushstrokes in white on the surface of the water suggest movement and a degree of turbulence as the water flows under the bridge. Beyond, undulating hills loom indistinctly against a pale sky. A large tree leans across from the right of the bridge, dominating the upper part of the scene. DONOR The donor, Charles Lewis Snelson, a former headmaster who originated from Bolton, also donated two paintings by Frank Hider to the Collection; Shore Scene with Boats, Cornwall and Rocky Coast at Sunset, Devon. He died in 1960 and was buried in Lytham Park Cemetery. |
REFERENCES
Grove Art Online Wood, Christopher, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters, Antique Collectors Club (1978) http://www.oxfordartonline.com/public/;jsessionid=17EBEA4DDB1D32EFB15E2BFFF5E11F66 1911 Census for Charles Lewis Snelson, Holmdale Thornton Hough Chester England & Wales National Probate Calendar, Charles Lewis Snelson Probate Manchester, 29 December 1960 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=81924255&ref=acom |
