Lot 541
ENGLISH SCHOOL C. 1720
A PANORAMIC VIEW OF LAMBETH PALACE SEEN ACROSS THE THAMES WITH FIGURES IN THE FOREGR
Auction: 8 April 2009 at 11:30 BST
Description
and St Paul's in the distance Oil on canvas
Dimensions
62cm x 154cm (24.5in x 61in)
Footnote
Note: This a rare early view of London from the north bank by Westminster Abbey looking across the Thames to Lambeth Palace with St Paul's Cathedral prominently featured in the distance. Lambeth Palace has been the historic residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the 13th century. This canvas must have been painted before 1736, when work began on Westminster Bridge which is located just north of Lambeth Palace and in the present day stands towards the left of the composition. Here however the view of the Thames is uninterrupted as it winds its way north. St Paul's dome is seen in the middle ground, identifying the composition as painted after 1709 when the cathedral was finally completed. The costumes of the figures in the foreground also date the canvas to the early 18th century.