Bolton Abbey
David Cox (British, 1783–1859)
c. late 1840s-1857
Medium
watercolor with black chalk
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.488,"width":0.754}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of James Parmelee
Accession Number
1940.552
Tags
male
About this artwork
This moody, broadly painted watercolor on rough, brown paper is emblematic of David Cox’s late style. Velvety grays and greens throughout the composition shift almost imperceptibly and streaks of blue wash, describing the distant hills and sky, are pierced by a sliver of brilliant yellow at the horizon. The ruined 12th-century priory is relegated to the background, nearly lost in the twilight.