A panel painting by an unidentified artist depicting a panorama of London from Southwark was recently acquired by the Museum of London. The difficult interdisciplinary analysis of dating the painting is described in detail – how dendrochronology, painting analysis and art history were employed at the Museum of London and by other experts. It is concluded that further research is needed to solve all the problems raised by these early works of art.
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References
1.
Sotheby's, 10 July 1991. The decision to sell the painting to the Museum of London was reached before the sale and the painting withdrawn from auction. This acquisition was made possible by a grant from the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. SeeCummingV.: ‘Some observations on a recent acquisition’, Int. J. Cultural Property, 1993, 2, (1).
2.
Some initial findings and future objectives were set out in: GalinouM. and TyersI.: ‘Portrait of London’, Medieval World, May–June1992, (6).
3.
Reproduced inWarnerM.: ‘The image of London – views by travellers and émigrés 1550–1920’, Barbican Art Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, London, UK, 1987, p. 114.
4.
ScouloudiI.: ‘Panoramic views of London 1600–1666’, 44; 1953, London, City Corporation of London.
5.
HayesJ.: ‘Claude de Jongh’, Burlington Mag., January1956, 98, (634).
6.
ScouloudiI.: ‘Panoramic views of London 1600–1666’, p. 45.
7.
ScouloudiI.: ‘Panoramic views of London 1600–1666’, p. 10–12.
8.
ScouloudiI.: ‘Panoramic views of London 1600–1666’, p. 14, note 13 and p. 47.
9.
TyersI.: ‘Report on MoL panel paintings’, Museum of London Archaeological Service, Environmental Archaeology Section, Dendrochronology Report DEN02/92, London, UK, 1992, p. 6. (Copy at Museum of London Print Room and Museum of London Archaeological Service.)
TyersI.: ‘Report on MoL panel paintings’, Museum of London Archaeological Service, Environmental Archaeology Section, Dendrochronology Report DEN02/92, London, UK, 1992, p. 12. (Copy at Museum of London Print Room and Museum of London Archaeological Service.)
12.
KeeneD.: ‘New discoveries at the Hanseatic steelyard in London’, in ‘Hansische Geschichtsblätter’; 1989, Köln, Wien, Böhlau-Verlag.
13.
EastaughN.: ‘The Museum of London project on 17th century topographical and other paintings on panel’, Ref. 92125.2, London, UK, October1992. (Copy at the Museum of London.)
14.
See Eastaugh and Goldsmith bibliographies.13,17 The Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge is also working on Robert Peake.
15.
TyersI.: ‘Report on MoL panorama panel painting’, Environmental Archaeology Laboratory, Dendrochronology Report REP03/91, London, UK, 1991, p. 3.
16.
EastaughN.: ‘The Museum of London project on 17th century topographical and other paintings on panel’, Ref. 92125.2, London, UK, October1992, p. 38. (Copy at the Museum of London.)
17.
GoldsmithL.: ‘Topographical painting in seventeenth- century London. An investigation into the materials and techniques of eight painted views of the city with reference to the supply of artists’ materials’, Courtauld Institute, London, UK, 1993. (A copy has been deposited with the Museum of London.)
18.
GoldsmithL.: ‘Topographical painting in seventeenth- century London. An investigation into the materials and techniques of eight painted views of the city with reference to the supply of artists’ materials’, Courtauld Institute, London, UK, 1993, pp. 27–31. (A copy has been deposited with the Museum of London.)
19.
GoldsmithL.: ‘Topographical painting in seventeenth- century London. An investigation into the materials and techniques of eight painted views of the city with reference to the supply of artists’ materials’, Courtauld Institute, London, UK, 1993, pp. 33–34. (A copy has been deposited with the Museum of London.)
20.
BrownC.: ‘Dutch landscape, the early years: Haarlem and Amsterdam 1590–1650’, Exhibition Catalogue, National Gallery, London, UK, 1986, p. 22.
21.
Research will shortly be published in Apollo.
22.
For instance, in the Museum of London collection, seeHayesJ.: ‘Catalogue of oil paintings’, London, UK, 1970, nos. 14, 17, 18, 20, etc.
