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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
119729
label
Bray Church Yard
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
119729
contentType
drawing
title
Bray Church Yard
description
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.
date
1807
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80014914
creators
51904
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 24.9 x 36.9 cm (9 13/16 x 14 1/2 in.)
cul
England, 19th century
accession
1940.564
Source extras
tec
watercolor and graphite
tombstone
Bray Church Yard, 1807. John Varley (British, 1778–1842). Watercolor and graphite; sheet: 24.9 x 36.9 cm (9 13/16 x 14 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of James Parmelee, 1940.564
supportMaterials
description
thick, moderately textured beige wove paper
collection
DR - British
inscriptions
inscription
inscribed, in graphite, on verso, at lower left: BrayChurch Yard - 1807
didYouKnow
Although rare, John Varley's early watercolors are considered his most inspired work.
citations
citation
Francis, Henry S. "The Bequest of James Parmelee: Department of Paintings." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>28, no. 2 (1941): 15-31.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 17 (as J.M.W. Turner)
citation
Lemonedes, Heather. <em>British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 58-9 149, no. 18; Reproduced: p. 59
creditline
Bequest of James Parmelee
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:10:59.495000
sourceId
119729
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - British
med
watercolor and graphite
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6b91f395c2e602d1