François Louis Thomas Francia, 1772–1839, French, active in Britain
Title:
Windmill on a Knoll in a Landscape
Date:
undated
Materials & Techniques:
Watercolor and gouache on moderately thick, moderately textured, cream wove paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 11 3/4 × 8 1/2 inches (29.8 × 21.6 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1986.29.399
Gallery Label:
The Calais-born Louis Francia moved to England in 1790 to escape the French Revolution. In London he met the young Thomas Girtin, who was emerging as the most innovative watercolor painter in Britain, and together they founded "The Brothers," a small sketching group dedicated to painting historical and literary themes. Francia's windmill is neither historical nor literary, but it does allude to Rembrandt's painting The Mill, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. At the end of the eighteenth century Rembrandt's Mill was in a British collection and was one of the most celebrated paintings in the country. Invoking the Old Masters was one way in which watercolor was given a new dignity and prestige. Gallery label for Great British Watercolors from the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art (Yale Center for British Art, 2008-06-09 - 2008-08-17)