John Terris RSW, York Minster

John Terris RSW, York MinsterThis early 20th century watercolour by British artist John Terris RSW (1865 1914) depicts a view of York Minster Cathedral. As rickety carts trundle along busy streets, the misty form of York Minster towers like a behemoth. A gothic survivor looming in gentle tints and pointed architecture. From this vantage point, Terris captured the rooftops with smoke rising from chimneys, while also looking down upon the numerous figures scuttling about their day.

These were described as ‘A Scene At Hampton

And the range of hues in the foreground

The painting is signed in the lower right and housed within a beautiful scroll and foliate gilt frame

Three figures kneel at the ironwork gates with a glimpse of the altar beyond them

The painting is signed/dated in the lower right and housed within an appropriate later frame

This work is exemplary

Steiner was known for his exquisite still lifes that drew influence from the 17th-century Dutch masters

Condition: Artwork presents well aside from some areas of foxing

His usual style was swaggerful - oils laid down with confident marks inspired by the old masters

His earlier depictions of nudes were often portrayed under the guise of mythological subjects - wood nymphs and such - making them more palatable for display in the home

it’s plausible that he’s a cartographer and directly involved in mapping the region

true feeling doesn’t arrive through the artist’s tools - it’s derived from us