Artwork
Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon
Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist George Price Boyce. It dates from 1878 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
It shows the Tithe Barn at Bradford-on-Avon, a huge medieval building from the 1300s.
George Price Boyce painted a quiet watercolour of an old barn in 1878. It shows the Tithe Barn at Bradford-on-Avon, a huge medieval building from the 1300s. People once gave grain here to support their local church.
The scene was actually sketched outside in autumn 1877. Boyce kept careful notes about his artist friends, the Pre-Raphaelites. He borrowed their love of small details in his work.
This work sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum today.
Overview
Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon is a watercolour by George Price Boyce, created on location in autumn 1877, depicting a medieval tithe barn in Wiltshire, England.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is the 14th-century Tithe Barn, where parishioners once paid their tithe (a contribution of grain and vegetables) to support the local church and priest. The painting captures the barn's architectural presence.
Technique & Style
Boyce employed meticulous attention to detail, a trait influenced by his association with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, though the work's overall character is more subdued, reflecting a quiet, observational approach.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1877, the watercolour is documented by an inscription on its reverse. It is now part of the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Context
As a friend of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and other Pre-Raphaelites, Boyce's work was informed by the group's principles, yet his diaries also served as a valuable historical resource on the Brotherhood itself.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Price Boyce was a British watercolour painter of landscapes and vernacular architecture in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He was a patron and friend of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
