Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D , Case 94, Shelf E, Box 46

Drawing

24/06/1765 (made)

Drawing of the Water House at Limpley Stoke, by Thomas Robins.

Thomas Robins is an enigmatic artist and, so far, little has been discovered of his life. He may be descended from the family of Robins who held the manor of Matson. He published a Prospect of Bath in 1757 and A View of the Baths and Pump Room in 1764. His son Thomas Robins the Younger was a drawing master.

Between 1747 and 1770, Robins produced a series of drawings and paintings of English country houses and, in particular, their gardens. His surviving drawings and paintings epitomise English rococo taste. Robins was either specially attracted to rococo gardens, or had a reputation for the delineation of such gardens in the circles of cognoscenti of the rococo.

Robins and his work are of significant interest both topographically and aesthetically. His pictures of rococo gardens, with their vistas and ornamental buildings, are of great historical importance because they immortalise a fashion whose exemplars have disappeared. Robins, who was in many respects an 'amateur' painter, never succumbed to conventional facility and his views retain the charm and freshness of a personal discovery.


Object details

Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink on paper
Brief description
Drawing of the Water House at Limpley Stoke, 24 June, 1765
Physical description
Drawing of the Water House at Limpley Stoke, on paper, in pen and ink.The drawing depicts a vista of hills, trees and houses. 'No 32' is written in brown ink in the bottom right hand corner and the drawing is dated 'June 24 1765'. The drawing is in a landscape format and attached to one page of the album.
Credit line
Accepted by H M Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria & Albert Museum, 2000
Summary
Drawing of the Water House at Limpley Stoke, by Thomas Robins.

Thomas Robins is an enigmatic artist and, so far, little has been discovered of his life. He may be descended from the family of Robins who held the manor of Matson. He published a Prospect of Bath in 1757 and A View of the Baths and Pump Room in 1764. His son Thomas Robins the Younger was a drawing master.

Between 1747 and 1770, Robins produced a series of drawings and paintings of English country houses and, in particular, their gardens. His surviving drawings and paintings epitomise English rococo taste. Robins was either specially attracted to rococo gardens, or had a reputation for the delineation of such gardens in the circles of cognoscenti of the rococo.

Robins and his work are of significant interest both topographically and aesthetically. His pictures of rococo gardens, with their vistas and ornamental buildings, are of great historical importance because they immortalise a fashion whose exemplars have disappeared. Robins, who was in many respects an 'amateur' painter, never succumbed to conventional facility and his views retain the charm and freshness of a personal discovery.
Collection
Accession number
E.1308:32-2001

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Record createdMarch 21, 2001
Record URL
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