674 - W. WATTS (1752-1851), Country estate near Blackheath in Kent, 1782, Etching

W. WATTS (1752-1851), Country estate near Blackheath in Kent, 1782, Etching William Watts (1752 - 1851 ): Country estate near Blackheath in Kent View of Sir Gregory Page Turner's seat at Blackheath, Kent, 1782, Etching Technique: Etching on Paper Impression Quality: Excellent, harmonious print. Inscription: Lower right signed in the printing plate: "W. Watts delt. & sculp.". At the lower part inscribed in the printing plate: "Seat of Sir Gregory Page Turner Bart at Blackheath in Kent. / Published as the Act directs, Octr 1st 1782, by W. Watts, Chelsea". Date: 1782 Description: Extensive park landscape with a stately country house in the centre, seen from the front at an angle. The multi-storey building has regular window axes and a portico-like colonnade on the right-hand front. Tall trees frame the scene to the left and right, their crowns structuring the sky. Several horses stand and rest on the lawn; two small figures ride on the right, creating scale and animation. The composition combines architecture and nature to create a representative depiction of property. Delicate linear hatching models tree foliage, clouds and the ground. Light-coloured open spaces in front of the house open up the visual axis, while darker areas of trees stagger the foreground and enhance the effect of depth. 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; Architecture; Porticus; Trees; Horses; Riders; Meadow; Gutssitz; Kent; Blackheath; Veduta; Landscape print; English country house; Cloudy sky; Tree framing; Staffage figures; 18th century; Classicism; Architecture; United Kingdom, Kent; Size: Paper: 20,2 cm x 25,8 cm (8 x 10,2 in), Plate: 15,0 cm x 20,0 cm (5,9 x 7,9 in), Depiction: 12,3 cm x 18,1 cm (4,8 x 7,1 in) Condition: Good condition. Slightly browned sheet with distinct foxing and age stains in the margins; minor marginal irregularities and slight traces of use, overall with visible paper ageing. A delicate scratch visible in the bottom centre of the image. The corners of the sheet are slightly bumped and creased.