William Callow, RWS

Signed and dated l.r.: W. Callow.1833, watercolour over traces of pencil with scratching outProvenancePrivate collection U.K. until 2026This fine example of Callow’s work dates from the time he was sharing a studio in Paris with Thomas Shotter Boys at 19 Rue de Bouloi near the Louvre. He visited England during the summer and presumably travelled through Dover.

Signed or inscribed l.l.: W Callow, inscribed l.c.: Le Forum/prise de l’arc de Constantin/26 Sept 40, watercolour over pencil on buff paper24.5 x 36 cm; 9 5/8 x 14 1/4 inchesProvenanceMrs Callow;Walker Gallery;Albany Gallery, from where purchased by the present owner;Private collection, U.K.Callow made his first trip to Italy in 1840 and spent ten days sketching in Rome, when the present work was done. Like many artists he was strongly affected by the country and his Italian views were to become some of his most popular subjects.This drawing is inscribed in French, like other drawings of the period, as Callow had been living in France since 1829. He had obtained great success and royal patronage there and in 1840 he was awarded the gold medal at the Paris Salon. He received commissions for five large watercolours from Marie Amélie, the Duc de Nemours and his pupil Princess Clémentine after they inspected his Italian sketches at the Tuileries Palace. He enjoyed much royal favour but the political instability in France and the prospect of Louis Philippe’s abdication caused him to return to England in March 1841 (see Jan Reynolds, William Callow, 1980, pp. 76-77).It has been suggested that the signature may have been added by Callow’s wife at a later date. A similar drawing of the Ponte Cartro, Rome dated 28 September is in the collection of the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford.

Signed and dated l.r.: Wm Callow/1870, watercolour over pencil with scratching out37 x 27 cm; 14½ x 10⅝ inchesExhibited: The Society of Painters in Water-colours, 1870, The Piazzetta, Venice.This engaging watercolour shows the famous statues of the Lion of St Mark and St Theodore in the Piazzetta, which Callow draws teeming with life. A gondolier looking for business can be seen to the left of the composition while a lady in a red cloak and white shawl is in deep conversation with a soldier in the foreground, evoking characteristically Venetian pursuits.Venice was Callow’s inspiration and he returned to the city throughout his life, always staying at the Hotel Europa facing the Grand Canal. Another watercolour of the Piazzetta dated 1877 is in the collection of the city of Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (1953P51).

Signed and dated l.l.: Wm Callow/1885., watercolour over pencil with scratching out and touches of white37.4 x 26.7 cm; 14¾ x 10½ inchesExhibited: Probably the Society of Painters in Water-colours, 1885, entitled A Relic of Venetian Architecture in Padua.This colourful drawing shows the triple-arched Venetian Gothic window of the Palazzo di Ezzolino in the centre of Padua, above an archway over a busy thoroughfare bustling with locals shopping. The palace was built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by Ezzelino da Romano. A further view of Padua by Callow showing the Market Place and Palazzo Ragione is in the collection of the Provost and Fellows of Eton College.

Signed, inscribed and dated l.r.: VENICE Wm Callow/1857., watercolour over traces of pencil heightened with touches of white24 x 32.2 cm; 9 3/8 x 12 5/8 inchesProvenanceLeger Galleries, 1962;Private collection, by descent until 2018ExhibitedSociety of Painters in Water-Colours, London, 1857;Leger Galleries, 1962LiteratureH.M. Cundall (Ed), William Callow R.W.S. An Autobiography, London, 1908, p. 154Venice was Callow’s inspiration and he returned to the city many times after his first visit in 1840. This viewpoint is taken from the Dogana looking north-west across the mouth of the Grand Canal towards the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Square.This work dates from the 1850s when his work was particularly finely drawn and he handled detail with great delicacy.