Oil painting entitled 'Old Buildings on the Darro, Granada' by David Roberts. British School, 1834.

Oil on panel entitled 'Old Buildings on the Darro, Granada' in Spain.

Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857

Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857

Exhibited at the BI in 1835, the size given in the catalogue as 28 by 35 inches (presumably including frame). It was described by the Athenaeum as 'an exquisite thing; we returned to it more than once'. Roberts visited Spain from October 1832 to December 1833, staying in Granada for three weeks in February. Granada, in Southern Spain, is on the Rio Darro which encloses the old Antequeruela district of the city.
Another version, in an upright format and dated 1835, was sold to Artaria of Mannheim; its present whereabouts are unknown.
A version in watercolour, measuring 23.5 x 34.5 cm (compared to 44.5 x 59.5 cm for the V&A's oil) was offered at auction in 2016. The following reference from the online catalogue: “Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood; Auction Title: Fine Art Sale - Day One; Auction Date: January 19, 2016, 10:00 AM. Location: St Edmund's Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU UK (Estimated Price: £1,800 - £2,500). David Roberts [1796-1864]- 'Granada', old buildings on the Darro: - signed David Roberts and dated 1833 bottom left, inscribed ‘Bridge of the Carbon, Granada Feb.15th 1833’ bottom left, watercolour over pencil, heightened with white 23.5 x 34.5cm. Note: An oil painting of this subject and dated 1834 is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. 44.5 x 59.5cms Ref.175[0] [i.e. FA.175[O]], David Roberts, 'Old Buildings on the Darro, Granada' 1834. The Corral Del Carbon [coal house] is the oldest monument left by the Arabs in Granada [14th Century]. It was used for warehousing.” [Photograph of the watercolour version is on the Departmental File for FA.175[O].
There are notable differences between the oil and the watercolour: additional figures and foliage in the oil, and some architectural details are absent or generalised in the watercolour.

Roberts visited the ancient Moorish capital of Granada in southern Spain in 1833. Its medieval district is enclosed by the River Darro and contains the exotic architecture the painter was particularly fond of. When this painting was first exhibited, a critic called it 'an exquisite thing'.

FA.175[O]