A Rocky Stream

James Ward

ca. 1811 · Graphite · Drawings and Prints

Best known for romantic paintings of animals, Ward was also a prolific draftsman. An apprenticeship to the engraver John Raphael Smith was followed by studies at the Royal Academy Schools, after which the artist made regular sketching tours around Britain to hone his technique (leaving 2,828 drawings in his estate). This richly shaded rendering of a stream resembles a sheet in private hands inscribed “White Well" and dated July 31, 1811. Ward travelled widely that summer, from Brownsea, Dorset to Wychnor, Staffordshire and likely found this subject at Whitewell, near Clitheroe, in Lancashire, a picturesque village on the River Hodder. The initials "JWD RA” were added late in life, as the artist went through and inscribed his drawings.

Artist

James Ward

Date

ca. 1811

Medium

Graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013