The Jesus Chapel, Norwich Cathedral with the tomb of Sir Thomas Windham

This work typifies many of the qualities of English watercolour painting in the early decades of the 19th century prior to the Victorian period, when the medium was used primarily for topographical work. Often on a modest scale, such watercolours were associated with the private collector’s portfolio, where they could be held and admired at close range, rather than the public exhibition. John Sell Cotman was a major exponent of the pure watercolour technique, using flat, transparent washes to build up form. The sheet is one of a series, probably intended for engraved reproduction, depicting views of the interior of Norwich Cathedral.