A View of Chester
1836
Medium
Watercolor, reinforced in places with gum, over graphite on card.
Dimensions
125 x 179 mm
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.901
Tags
Art Historical Context
John Varley’s *A View of Chester* (1836) captures the picturesque charm of the historic English city along the River Dee, blending urban architecture with natural landscape elements like boats on the water. As a leading figure in early 19th-century British watercolor painting, Varley was renowned for his atmospheric landscapes that evoke the Romantic era’s reverence for nature and place. This intimate work, measuring just 125 x 179 mm, invites viewers into a serene urban vista, highlighting Chester’s medieval walls and timber-framed buildings against a softly lit sky. Varley employed a meticu...