TRISTRAM ELLIS (BRITISH 1844-1922)
FORTH RAIL BRIDGE FROM ABOVE DALMENY
£1,764
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Day Session | 7th December 2023 at 14:00
Description
Signed and dated 1881, watercolour
Dimensions
61cm x 122cm (24in x 48in)
Provenance
Provenance: Sir John Fowler (1817-1898), Chief Designer and Engineer of the Forth Bridge and thence by descent
Footnote
Note: The date of the watercolour may seem incorrect as the bridge was completed in 1890. However this drawing was commissioned by Fowler and was drawn from plans before the construction commenced. The watercolour shows the bridge as a creation in shiny steel (it was the first major steel construction in the United Kingdom) whereas it was eventually painted in red oxide, a colour now known as 'Forth Bridge Red'; the 45 acres of metalwork required half a million litres of paint.