Rievaulx Abbey
Photograph
1854 (photographed)
1854 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Roger Fenton was interested in English Gothic architecture. This photograph shows the ruined Abbey of Rievaulx, established by Cistercian monks in Yorkshire in 1132. Once a busy centre for Cistercian expansion in the north of England, the remote abbey fell into ruin from 1538 after Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Such buildings have often captured the imagination of artists as a symbol of the folly of grand human designs in the face of time and nature. Here, a single figure gives a sense of scale while the ruined arches frame the landscape, of which the abbey has become an integral part.
Such buildings have often captured the imagination of artists as a symbol of the folly of grand human designs in the face of time and nature. Here, a single figure gives a sense of scale while the ruined arches frame the landscape, of which the abbey has become an integral part.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Rievaulx Abbey (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Roger Fenton, 'Rievaulx Abbey'. Reivaulx, 1854. |
| Physical description | Photograph depicting ruined Abbey in landscape looking down through nave. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Fenton was interested in English Gothic architecture. Here we see the ruined Abbey of Rievaulx, originally set up by Cistercian monks in Yorkshire during the twelfth century. Once a busy centre for trade, the remote abbey fell into ruin from 1538 after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. Such buildings have often captured the imagination of artists as a symbol of the folly of such grand human designs in the face of time and nature. Here, a single figure gives a sense of scale while the ruined arches frame the landscape, of which the abbey has become an integral part.(22/09/2004) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Roger Fenton was interested in English Gothic architecture. This photograph shows the ruined Abbey of Rievaulx, established by Cistercian monks in Yorkshire in 1132. Once a busy centre for Cistercian expansion in the north of England, the remote abbey fell into ruin from 1538 after Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. Such buildings have often captured the imagination of artists as a symbol of the folly of grand human designs in the face of time and nature. Here, a single figure gives a sense of scale while the ruined arches frame the landscape, of which the abbey has become an integral part. |
| Bibliographic reference | Taken from Photography Department index card catalogue |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | PH.12-1978 |
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| Record created | June 13, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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