John Varley (1778-1842) - A castle by a river

This is a typical watercolour by Varley that often came up for sale at Christie's and Sotheby's in the 1970s and 1980s. It depicts a castle on the edge of a river with a tree framing the left hand-side of the composition. The castle could easily be an imaginary structure or perhaps a picturesque building in either England or Wales. The large tree is particularly impressive with the branches on the left appearing to be moving in the wind, whilst the branches on the right are relatively still.
 
Medium: watercolour on paper. 17.2 x 22.9 cm, mounted.
 
Provenance: Christie's stencil verso (742PI); John Manning Gallery, 71 New Bond Street, London (label verso); likely sold at a Phillips sale of 'Oil Paintings, Watercolours and Prints', 29 November 2000 (this work was definitely sold on that day and is viewable on ArtNet); Private collection, England.
 
Bibliography:
 
[1] C.M. Kauffman, John Varley (1778-1842) (London, 1984).
 
Condition report: some light foxing and fading.