Artwork
Landscape with cliff and pool
Landscape with cliff and pool is a watercolor work on paper by the Romanticist artist Peter De Wint. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Peter De Wint’s watercolour titled “Landscape with Cliff and Pool” presents a tranquil scene in which a steep cliff rises on the right side of the composition, its upper edge shaded by a scattering of trees. In the foreground a still pool reflects the surrounding foliage, while a pale sky occupies the upper space, creating a calm, balanced atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a quiet moment in nature, juxtaposing the solidity of the cliff against the gentle surface of the pool. The placement of trees both on the cliff and near the water suggests a harmonious coexistence of land and vegetation, inviting contemplation of the landscape’s serene, unspoiled character.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the painting employs translucent washes that soften edges and blend tones. De Wint varies the intensity of pigments to convey depth: darker hues define the cliff and foliage, while lighter washes render the sky and water. This approach yields a delicate texture and a sense of atmospheric perspective typical of his early 19th‑century landscape practice.
History & Provenance
Created by the English painter Peter De Wint (1784–1849), the piece belongs to his mature period when he focused on English countryside scenes. The work is catalogued as a watercolour, though specific details of its acquisition or exhibition history have not been recorded in the available sources.
Artist & collection
Henry Fancourt White, nephew of the painter, when an infant
View of London from the fields below Hampstead
Nightingale Valley near Clifton with St. Vincent's Rocks and the Obsevatory Tower
Group of gipsies and female rustics
A Welsh Landscape
Study of park scenery
Landscape with waterfall
Wooded Gorge, Llanberis