Wales 1678: Reconstructing the earliest on-the-spot sketches of Wales
Amgueddfa Cymru has in its collection fifteen views of Wales drawn by Francis Place (1647-1728). Of these, ten are from a single sketchbook. These ten sketches, dated 1678, are the earliest images that the Museum holds of Wales that were drawn on-the-spot. In addition to revealing sketches hidden for 200 years, recent conservation work by the Museum has enabled sketches to be digitally stitched together - creating complete panoramic views that have never been viewed before.
[image: Pembroke Castle]
Pembroke Castle
The Museum purchased the sketches from a dealer in 1931. The dealer had bought them at Sotheby's in a sale of the collection of Patrick Allan-Fraser Art College in Arbroath, Scotland. The collection included drawings, prints, pottery and the only known oil painting, a self portrait, descended directly through the family from Place.
The drawings are all made from at least two separate sheets joined together and then stuck to a secondary support, which appears to be early wove paper, suggesting the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century.
[image: Boat at Tenby]
Boat at Tenby
Some drawings that obviously extended over the page had been left 'loose', allowing the viewer to lift the page and view the other side, but others had been stuck down to the secondary support — with the 'inconsequential' sketch on the verso hidden from view.
Hidden sketches
During conservation work, Museum staff decided to remove all the sketches from their secondary supports, and with all the sketches detached from the album pages it was revealed that a drawing on the back of one page joined up with the drawing on the back of another page, creating a new double-page spread.
The images could then be matched up, revealing sketches unseen since the original sketchbook had been taken apart at least 200 years ago. The original order of the sketches could also be determined.
Cardiff
Many of the sketches have crosses or arrows showing where the panorama is extended over the page. Cardiff is two double-page sketches that join in the middle. There is a cross on the church tower in both sketches, which is where the two overlap.[image: Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 1]
Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 1
[image: Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 2]
Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 2
Never seen before panoramic views
As there was limited potential in showing these historical views of Wales in a traditional gallery setting, the images were scanned and digitally 'stitched together', and the panoramas could be viewed as complete images for the very first time.
During this process some insights into Place's working methods were discovered. When putting the separate pages together, no manipulation was required to match up the horizons as they already did perfectly — testimony to Place's ability as a draughtsman.
Although technology has not changed the way these objects are treated, it has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the works by giving deeper insight into the artist's working methods.
Oystermouth
Oystermouth has two crosses on the very left edge, indicating that the drawing extends over the page. On the reverse side of the sheet there are two corresponding crosses on the right edge.[image: Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place.]
Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 1
[image: Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place. ]
Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 2
Research
The bulk of Place's original work comes from the Sotheby's sale in 1931. Various lots from this sale are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, including a number of mounted drawings and two sketchbooks. These items suggest that the drawings in Amgueddfa Cymru and the Victoria and Albert Museum originally came from one sketchbook.
The first Victoria and Albert Museum sketchbook consists of eighteen sheets, exactly the same size as the one at Amgueddfa Cymru and also bearing the same watermarks; there is a list at the front of the sketchbook corresponding to the views in the sketchbook, and the list continues with places in Wales that correspond with the order established from the Amgueddfa Cymru sketches.
The list is not in Places's handwriting, but is still of some age. Maybe it was a descendant of Place's, who made the list before they removed the best sketches to mount in a separate album?
More evidence is found in the second sketchbook from the Victoria and Albert Museum, where there is a sheet pasted inside the back cover. This sheet matches up with the last sketch in the first sketchbook. Unfortunately, this last page is pasted down but on the one small part that can be lifted there is a definite pencil line, which could match up with that on one of sketches at Amgueddfa Cymru...
Tenby
Another example of folding over can be seen Tenby. The crease over on the left of the drawing shows the reverse.[image: Tenby (1678) Francis Place]
Tenby (1678) Francis Place - Sketchbook sheet 1
[image: Tenby (1678) Francis Place. ]
Tenby (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 2
The sketches are not currently on public display, although one is on display at Oriel y Parc in St Davids until April 2011.
Article by: Emily O'Reilly, Art Department
Article Date: 11 February 2011
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Glossary
Verso
The verso is the back, or reverse, side of a leaf of paper in a bound item. The recto is the front side
6 comments
garfield smith on 22 May 2012, 06:16
these are fasinating but as Tenby was relatively an ever far more commercially successful trading port town in the 15th and 16th centuries there have to exist earlier sketches involving continental visitors reflections,Very hard to find.
Lucie Bromfield on 22 March 2011, 11:47
Well done for all the hard work involved in restoring this work, and thank you very much for bringing it to light. It's fascinating.
Amgueddfa Cymru on 9 March 2011, 15:14 (Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales Staff)
Dear R V Bryan,
Thank you for your comment - unfortunately, the sketches are not currently on public display at the National Museum Cardiff.
One sketch by Place is currently on display in Pembrokeshire, at Oriel y Parc Landscape Gallery in St Davids (where we show large groups of our works). It will be there until April 3rd.
Our Art Online database is being added to constantly. We are hoping to add works on paper over the next year.
R V Bryan on 9 March 2011, 14:34
I much appreciate the work that has been done to make these sketches available. I am due to visit the museum on 15th Mar and look forward to see ing these images for real. There is a very live interest in art in Pembrokeshire not to mention several art groups. Would it be possible to arrange small exhibitions from your collection at such venues as Pembroke Dock library which has an ideal room to show some 50-100 paintings. Such a showing would be attractive to many who find it difficult to get to Cardiff. A further point refers to the ability to browse your collection online. Could you please annotate the alphabetical lists with say a star to indicate that the entry has an image of the artists work. It is very frustrating to click on an entry, of which there are many, only to find there is no picture
Amgueddfa Cymru on 8 March 2011, 09:48
Dear Barbara Baker,
Thank you for your comment, apparently Tenby Museum and Art Gallery hold works by this artist in their permanent collections. http://www.tenbymuseum.org.uk/
Barbara Baker on 8 March 2011, 09:45
I am seeking information about a relative Nellie Povis Evans who was an artist in Tenby in about mid 1800's. Any ideas?
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