Peter De Wint (1784-1849) - Padstow Point, Cornwall

Views of Cornwall by De Wint are particularly rare with very few known. The Royal Academy have a work titled 'The Logan Stone at Land's End, Cornwall' which was painted by the artist c.1814. [1] Our watercolour may have been done on the same trip by De Wint. The Yale Center for British Art also has a watercolour titled 'Seascape with Rocks Lizard, Cornwall' in their collection. [2] As far as we are aware these are the only two known works of Cornwall besides ours known to be painted by De Wint. 
 
Our watercolour is typical of the artist and appears to have been painted 'en plein air'. It depicts the coastal Cornish town of Padstow with the sea visible in the distance. The clouds appear to be moving quickly possibly from a strong sea breeze and it was clearly a view the artist admired.
 
The watercolour was most likely painted on De Wint's favourite paper produced by Thomas Creswick. [3] It was a rougher paper that allowed a higher absorption of the watercolour paint that favoured De Wint's use of tints. It was also a stronger paper that De Wint could use his scratching out technique. 
 
Medium: watercolour on paper, 16.4 x 28.2cm, framed.
 
Provenance: Manning Gallery, 71 New Bond Street, London, W1 (label verso).
 
Bibliography:
 
[1] Peter De Wint 'The Logan Stone at Land's End, Cornwall', pen and ink and wash on cream wove paper, c.1814. In the Royal Academy of Art's collection, object number: 03/5085.
 
[2] Peter De Wint 'Seascape with Rocks Lizard, Cornwall', watercolor over graphite on thick wove paper, undated. In the Yale Center for British Art's collection, Accession Number: B1975.4.1498.
 
[3] John Lord (ed.), 'Peter DeWint 1784-1849: For the common observer of life and nature', Aldershot: Lund Humphries (2007). See chapter 6 by Peter Bowe 'Peter DeWint and Thomas Creswick's Paper: Signed all over' for an overview on the paper De Wint used.
 
Condition report: generally in good condition with some fading from time. The frame shows a bit of age.