John Sell Cotman

Study of Foliage, perhaps rhododendron
c. 1810

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This is a careful study of a shrub with regular clusters of elongated oval leaves, possibly identifiable as rhododendron. Kitson 1937 mentions a slight drawing of foliage on the reverse, but this not visible in the present mounting and not verified by the present writer.

Cotman made numerous studies of plants, generally of common weeds that typified his haunts as an artist. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the rhododendron would have been exclusively a garden plant, having been first introduced into Britain in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Such subjects are common in the earlier years of his career, particularly c.1803-5. The careful draftsmanship of this example might be best related to work from the period 1809-11, when leaves such as this appeared frequently as details in his watercolours and etchings.

This drawing is one of eleven mounted on one large sheet ('I') as acquired by Sydney Kitson in 1928. The group comprises entirely of studies of plants. Sometime before 1937, Kitson mounted them all individually and gave them new numbers for the catalogue drawn up in the latter year [K256-266].

David Hill, August 2017

• Provenance

  One of perhaps two thousand pencil drawings mounted by Cotman on large sheets sometime after 1820 and by descent to the
  'Highly important sale by auction of a rare and valuable collection of works of art, by the following artists: John Sell Cotman, Miles Edmund Cotman, Varley, Sillett, Hobart, and Teniers, Pritchett, Hannah, S D Colkett, Nursey, and others..' at Murrell's Bazaar salerooms, Norwich, 26-27 November 1862;

  Charles Muskett, bookseller and printer of Norwich (1804-1856) by whom sold to Mr Orfeur, businessman of Yarmouth and later civil servant;

  [?John] Orfeur and by descent to his son, Mr Herbert Orfeur of the Old House, Wimborne Dorset;

  Herbert Orfeur (d.1945) bought June 1928 by
  S.D.Kitson (1871 - 1937);

  S.D.Kitson (1871 - 1937) bequeathed to Leeds Art Gallery and accessioned 1949;

• Published References

  Sydney Decimus Kitson, 'The Catalogue of the Collection of Drawings by J.S.Cotman', 1924-1937, unpublished typescript at Leeds Art Gallery, c.1937, cat.263;

  'Leeds City Art Galleries: Concise Catalogue' [Leeds: Leeds City Council, 1976] cat. 9.025/49;

• Collector's Notes

  Sydney Decimus Kitson, 'The Catalogue of the Collection of Drawings by J.S.Cotman', 1924-1937, unpublished typescript at Leeds Art Gallery, c.1937, cat.263;
  STUDY OF FOLIAGE.
  6" x 4"
  Pencil on thin paper.
  on reverse, slight study of foliage.
  Ex.Muskett-Orpen Coll: (I. 8)
  June 1928.

• Alternate Numbers

  Other number: 9.25/49
  Previous Number: LEEAG.PA.1949.0009.0025
  Kitson Number: KITSON.263.I.08
  Negative Number: 862/36(16)