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The Thames from Somerset House
Bol, Cornelisc.1650
Dulwich Picture Gallery
London, United Kingdom
Cornelis Bol was a Flemish painter and etcher who made several visits to London throughout his career. Around 1650 the diarist John Evelyn commissioned Bol to paint views of the River Thames; this painting formed part of that series.
Bol records the skyline of London a few years before the Great Fire of 1666, dominated by old Somerset House to the right. This was once one of the great houses of London, but it fell into disuse by the 1680s, and a century later was demolished and replaced with the current building. The prominent fountain in the garden overlooking the river, topped with a statue of Diana, was moved to Hampton Court in 1656.
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Details
- Title: The Thames from Somerset House
- Creator Lifespan: [1589] - after 1666
- Date: c.1650
- Physical Dimensions: w1087 x h635 cm
- Type: Painting
- Medium: Oil
- Work Nationality: Dutch
- Support: Canvas
- Provenance: Recorded at Dulwich College by 1792; so almost certainly: London, William Cartwright (an inscription recently uncovered during lining reads 'Westminster no 192'; this number may be the Cartwright inventory number; the leaf containing items 186-209 is missing); Cartwright Bequest, 1686;
- Inscriptions: CB
- Further Information: On the right is Old Somerset House, shown before Webb's alterations to the river facade of 1662; on the far left is Lambeth Palace; on the skyline appear (left to right) Westminster Hall, Westminster Abbey, the Banqueting House and Old Northumberland House, with its four turrets. DPG360 is a version of one of a set of Thames views painted by Bol for the diarist John Evelyn (private collection).
- Artist: Bol, Cornelis
- Acquisition Method: Cartwright, William (Bequest, 1686)
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