Artwork
Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a print by the Romanticist artist Samuel Prout. It dates from 1819 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Samuel Prout’s 1819 print titled Lynmouth presents a tranquil rural tableau. The composition is anchored by a stone cottage on the left and a thatched-roof building on the right, set within a gently rolling landscape. A solitary figure stands before the cottages, accompanied by two small livestock, while trees rise in the distant background, establishing a calm, pastoral atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures everyday life in a coastal village, emphasizing the relationship between human habitation and the surrounding countryside. The presence of the man and his animals suggests routine agricultural activity, while the modest architecture reflects the modest scale of rural dwellings in early‑19th‑century England.
Technique & Style
Prout employs a careful modulation of light and shadow, a chiaroscuro effect that imparts depth to the hills and structures. Fine line work delineates the stonework and thatch, while subtle tonal variations convey texture in foliage and terrain, contributing to a realistic yet composed visual narrative.
History & Provenance
Created in 1819, Lynmouth entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view. The print exemplifies Prout’s early printmaking practice, produced during a period when he was establishing his reputation for architectural and landscape subjects.
Artist & collection
Artist
Samuel Prout (; 17 September 1783 – 10 February 1852) was a British watercolourist, and one of the masters of watercolour architectural painting, who largely invented the genre of the grand steet scene in British…
A Series of Ancient Buildings and Rural Cottages in the North of England: Near Ashbourn
A Series of Ancient Buildings and Rural Cottages in the North of England: Ayton
A Series of Ancient Buildings and Rural Cottages in the North of England: Near Byland
Cottages
A Farmhouse, Perroz Guirec, Brittany
Cottage at Scalby, nr. Scarborough
A Study from Nature.
The Maltings, Saffron Walden
Bideford
Village Scene