Looking under the Bridge

John Varley

Associated Names
John Varley

Artist, British, 1778 - 1842

The image depicts a view from under a large stone archway overlooking a calm waterway. The horizon is near the top of the image with buildings and a tower in the distance. A barge with a dog is moored near the archway, and a rowboat with two people is in the distance. The brushstrokes give the image a soft, slightly textured appearance, with attention to light and shadow on the arch and water. The color palette includes earthy browns and tans for the archway and barge, against soft blues and pinks in the sky. The background shows a hazy silhouette of buildings and trees.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor over graphite on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 28.4 x 23.7 cm (11 3/16 x 9 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.72.21

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1987

  • English Drawings and Watercolors, 1630-1850, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1987-1988, no cat.

2006

  • The Artist's Vision: Romantic Traditions in Great Britain, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007

Inscriptions

lower center in graphite?: J Varley; in later hand, across top verso in graphite: Rochester / Stone Bridge / John Varley; in later hand, across bottom verso in graphite: John Varley / The Old Bridge / Rochester (writing on verso removed during restoration (10/87) - see file for photograph)

Wikidata ID

Q64584408

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