Watercolour depicting Highcliffe Castle, Dorset (then High Cliff, Hampshire), as seen from the sea. Painted by Adam Callander, possibly after an oil painting by Charles Steuart (fl.1765-90) - no original oil is known today, but as P.39, 41, 42-1953 are after Steuart this is also likely to be a copy. British, signed and dated 1783.

Watercolour of a building on a cliff under a large expanse of sky, viewed from the sea. The sea is in the foreground with 2 sailing boats and a rowing boat to the left and one rowing boat on the right.

This is one of four watercolours by Adam Callander (worked 1780-1811) acquired by the museum in 1953 (museum numbers : P.39, 40, 41, 42-1953). All four works were catalogued at the time as views of ‘Highcliffe, near Christchurch, Hampshire, the seat of the Marquess of Bute’; today this building is known as Highcliffe Castle, and is now in Dorset. A written communication from Michael Hill, FSA, architectural historian, has confirmed however that while two of the works show Highcliffe (P.39-1953 and P.40-1953), the other two works show Luton Park, also called Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire (P.41-1953 and P.42-1953).

Both properties belonged to John Stuart (1713-92), 3rd Earl of Bute. Three of the watercolours by Adam Callander (P.39, 41, 42–1953) are in fact copies of oil paintings by Charles Steuart (worked 1765-90), commissioned by Bute of these two houses. The fourth watercolour (P.40-1953) is likely also to be a copy of a now untraced oil by Steuart. The oil paintings of the two views of Luton Park (Luton Hoo) are in the Mount Stuart collection, (ref. Frances Russell, 2004, plates 69 and 70). The original oil by Steuart of P.39-1953 is in a private collection (ref. Francis Russell, 2004, plate 77).

Further reference should be made to Francis Russell, John, 3rd Earl of Bute: Patron & Collector, Merrion Press, 2004. See also forthcoming, Michael Hill, East Dorset Country Houses, Spire Books, (Autumn) 2013.

P.40-1953