The Inner Courtyard of Old Somerset House in the Strand

1777

William Moss and Francis Jukes

Associated Names
William Moss

Artist, British, active 1775-1782

Francis Jukes

Artist, British, 1747 - 1812

The image shows a courtyard scene with a central viewpoint providing a wide angle of the architecture. The central building has a clock tower with a weather vane. The drawing has precise lines and shading detailing the stonework and windows. The color scheme is sepia tones, creating an antique feel. In the foreground, there are people engaged in various activities, including conversing and holding a dog. A horse-drawn coach is under the arches, with other figures moving around. Clouds in the sky add to the period ambiance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, aquatint, and mezzotint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 51.3 × 72.5 cm (20 3/16 × 28 9/16 in.)
    plate: 50.4 × 71.5 cm (19 13/16 × 28 1/8 in.)
    image: 43.6 × 68.2 cm (17 3/16 × 26 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2019.144.2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William Augustus Fraser [1826-1898], London (Lugt 2830). (Andrew Edmunds, London); purchased 2019 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2021

  • Aquatint: From Its Origins to Goya, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2021 - 2022.

Bibliography

2021

  • Hoisington, Rena. Aquatint: From Its Origins to Goya. Washington, 2021: 177, fig. 3

Inscriptions

in plate, below image, at left: Drawn & Etch’d by W. Moss; in plate, below image, at center: To the R.t Hon.ble E arl Ashburnham this PLATE part of Sommerset House in the Strand. / is most humbly Dedicated by his Lordships Obedient & Obliged Serv.t W. Moss. / publish’d as the Act directs 31.st March 1777 by W. Moss No. 8 Chapel Court Cavendish Square.; in plate, below image, at right: Engrav’d in Aquatinta by F. Jukes

Markings

William Augustus Fraser [1826-1898], London (Lugt 2830)

Watermarks

dovecote

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