A Wooded Lane near Ross
1803
Medium
watercolor over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
Overall: 23.5 x 36.5 cm (9 1/4 x 14 3/8 in.) mat: 40.6 x 55.9 cm (16 x 22 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Diane Allen Nixon
Accession Number
2000.74.3
Art Historical Context
**A Wooded Lane near Ross** (1803) by Cornelius Varley invites viewers into the tranquil English countryside, depicting a shaded path winding through dense woodland near Ross. Created at the dawn of the 19th century, this watercolor captures nature's quiet poetry, reflecting the era's growing Romantic appreciation for unspoiled landscapes amid Britain's industrial stirrings. Varley, a skilled British draftsman and inventor, masterfully layered watercolor over a graphite underdrawing on wove paper—a technique prized for its precision and luminosity. The medium's fluidity allowed subtle gradati...