1970 Early English Watercolours & Drawings British Art Reference Book I Williams
Early English Watercolours - And Some Cognate Drawings by Artists Born Not Later Than 1785.
By Iolo Williams
Published by Kingsmead Reprints: Bath 1970
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Early English Watercolours - And Some Cognate Drawings by Artists Born Not Later Than 1785 by Iolo Williams is a foundational scholarly study of the origins and early development of the English watercolour tradition. Originally published in 1952 and here presented in the 1970 Kingsmead Reprints edition, the work examines the formative period of British watercolour practice from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, focusing on artists whose contributions predate the great flowering of the medium in the age of Turner, Girtin, and Cotman. Williams brings together decades of meticulous research to reassess early practitioners often overlooked, situating their work within traditions of topographical drawing, antiquarian study, architectural record-keeping, and landscape observation.
Richly illustrated with plates drawn from major collections, the book combines detailed stylistic analysis with biographical insight, tracing how utilitarian drawing gradually evolved into an expressive artistic medium in its own right. Williams' measured, connoisseurial approach—further contextualised by an introduction to the reprint—highlights both major figures and lesser-known draughtsmen, offering a nuanced understanding of early English taste, technique, and visual culture. This volume will particularly appeal to students of British art history, collectors of watercolour scholarship, and admirers of early landscape and topographical art."
Light wear to dustjacket. Covers very clean. Some creasing to upper corner of pages as shown otherwise an excellent copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
