Cleveland Museum of Art

Bray Church Yard

Date

1807

Medium

watercolor and graphite

Culture

England, 19th century

Department

Drawings

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The inscription on the reverse of this drawing, "Bray Church Yard-1807," likely refers to St. Michael’s, the parish church in the village of Bray on the banks of the Thames in the county of Berkshire. The banks of the lower Thames Valley provided the subject matter for many of John Varley’s early watercolors. His pursuit of the picturesque led the artist to turn his back on London and its connotations of commerce and industry, focusing instead on the rural aspects of the scene. Although rare, John Varley's early watercolors are considered his most inspired work.

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