Archive: SDK Sydney Decimus Kitson Archive
Reference Number: SDK/1/2/1/9
Page: p. 23 verso
Description
Journal entry describing work titled Fountains Abbey.
Journal entry in which Kitson describes seeing a painting (Fountains Abbey) which Cotman exhibited at the R.A and which Kitson traces to the posession of Dawson Turner
Date: 1933-1934
Transcription
June 18 1934- Visited P. M. [illegible 1 word] in Grafton St. he showed me a large early Cotman upright watercolour signed J.S. Cotman. 33 ¼ x 23 ¼ of a portion of Fountains Abbey. Colour a good deal [illegible 1 word]. He told me he found it hanging in a house which he had entered for quite another purpose: that [Colman] after a family [conclave] had turned it down on the [score] of condition. He gave me an excellent photo of it- this drawing is almost certainly the "Fountains Abbey” exhibited by Cotman at the R.A in 1804- probably bought by Dawson Turner in 1804- see Cotman’s letter to D.T Dec: 8 1806 where he says he is having a ‘one man show’ after Christmas in Norwich and would like to have the loan of “Fountains Abbey- please send the size of frame-
In a list of D.T's pictures in D.Ts writing, c. 1824 (in posession* of Geofrey Barker)
"Drawing Fountains Abbey, Cotman, bought from Cotman 6. 6. 0”
At the sale of D.T’s [illegible 1 word] in May 1859, lot – Drawing’s framed, Fountains Abbey (June) J.S. Cotman
At the Council Dinner Club that evening the chairman Maurice Webb, presented me with a fine ‘[illegible 2 words]’ (c. 1803) Cotman sepia, which they had obtained from Eddie [illegible 1 word]- (No. 815) they put an inscription of the back.