View of Berncastle on the Moselle

William Oliver (1804 - 1853)

Watercolour on paper

1851
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection

    The River Moselle is a tributary of the Rhine, which flows through north eastern France, Luxembourg and western Germany. Berncastle (Bernkastel-Kues) is a small town on the river. This watercolour is dominated by the extraordinary tower of the partly 14th-century Church of St Michael in the town, which still stands today. The tower is ringed by a crown of turrets and was originally part the town's fortifications.

    Artist William Oliver exhibited 'At Berncastle on the Moselle (dimensions: 1'9 x 1'10) at the British Institution in 1852 and 'Near Berncastle on the Moselle' (watercolour, £10.10s) at the Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street, in 1858. He also exhibited 'View on the river Moselle near Pommera' at the Royal Academy in 1853. Further examples of his watercolours showing views on the River Moselle have passed through Christie's, London, in 1975 and 1977, and through Sotheby's, London, in 1979 and 1981.

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  • Details
    Title
    View of Berncastle on the Moselle
    Date
    1851
    Medium
    Watercolour on paper
    Dimensions
    height: 34.40 cm, width: 49.60 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Appleby Bros, March 1975
    Inscription
    br: Berncastle Moselle. / [MGM] W Oliver 1851
    Provenance
    With Appleby Bros., London; from whom purchased by the Department of the Environment in March 1975
    GAC number
    11846