459 - W. WATTS (*1752) after HEARNE (*1744), Corsham House in Wiltshire, 1781, Etching

W. WATTS (*1752) after HEARNE (*1744), Corsham House in Wiltshire, 1781, Etching William Watts (1752 - 1851 ) after Thomas Hearne (1744 - 1817 ): Corsham House in Wiltshire Corsham House in Wiltshire, view of Paul Methuen's country estate with park and water, 1781, Etching Technique: Etching on Paper Impression Quality: Good impression. Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "T. Hearne del. / / W. Watts sculp.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Corsham House in Wiltshire, the Seat of Paul Methuen Esq.r / Published as the Act directs, May 1st 1781, by W. Watts, Kents Row, Chelsea". Date: 1781 Description: View of a stately country house on the other side of a calm body of water in a wide park landscape. In the foreground, two staffage-like figures sit on the bank; two dogs play on the right and a small group of deer stands on the left. Groups of trees frame the composition at the sides and in the centre, while the building with its regularly structured façade appears on a gently rising meadow. A church tower rises behind the house. Delicate parallel lines, dense hatching and graduated tonal values model clouds, water and terrain. The line of sight runs from the lively foreground across the water to the house; nature and the architecture of the property are related to each other in a balanced way. Source: William Watts (1752 -1851 ) The seats of the nobility and gentry, in a collection of the most interesting and picturesque views, 1779 | Book, Architecture Keywords: Country house; Manor house; Parkland; Lake; Shore; Staffage figures; Dogs; Deer; Trees; Cloudy sky; Architectural view; Estate estate; Wiltshire; England; Topographical view; Landscape print; Church tower; Landscaped slope; 18th century; Classicism; Landscape; United Kingdom; Size: Paper: 20,0 cm x 25,8 cm (7,9 x 10,2 in), Plate: 15,6 cm x 20,0 cm (6,1 x 7,9 in), Depiction: 12,5 cm x 18,2 cm (4,9 x 7,2 in) Condition: Defective condition. Slightly browned sheet with scattered small stains, wide margins, faint traces of creasing and a small tear in the lower margin; minor traces of age. Small punctiform damages in the sky.