The Town of Melrose

Location

Country: UK
City: Scotland
Place: Edinburgh, Scottish Lands Court & Land Tribunal for Scotland, George House

This plate is part of a series by John Clark titled 'Views in Scotland'. The plates were advertised for sale in 'The Examiner' on 2 May 1824, priced at 10s. 6d. each. Generally, two Plates from the series were published each month in 1824–35.

John Clark, watercolourist and aquatint engraver, specialised in topographical, sporting and marine views. He remains something of a mystery today as virtually nothing is known of his life. This may be partly the result of his not uncommon name. Clark toured Scotland during the summer of 1823, making sketches for his series of aquatint prints ‘Views in Scotland’ (published in parts in 1824-25, under the patronage of George IV). Other works apparently in the same hand and presumed to be by John Clark are alternately signed ‘J. Clark’ and ‘I. Clark’. To further complicate matters, Clark’s work has frequently been confused with that of John Heaviside Clark (c.1771-1863), an engraver and painter of landscapes and seascapes, born in Scotland.

Places

Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland, Scottish Borders, Melrose Abbey

Subjects

topography, landscape C19th, townscape/cityscape, Victorian Genre, tree, hill, man, woman, gravestone, coat of arms, field, churchyard, abbey, ruin

Materials & Techniques

aquatint, coloured aquatint

Artist

John Clark

Title

The Town of Melrose

Date

1825

Medium

Coloured aquatint

Acquisition

Purchased from Sotheby's, 6 November 1957

GAC number

3935