John Middleton

John Middleton (Norwich 1827-1856) A shady lane, Tunbridge Wells, Kent signed with initials, inscribed and dated 'Tonbridge [sic] Wells/JM 1847' (lower left) pencil and watercolour on paper 12¾ x 19 in. (32.4 x 48.3 cm.) with Agnew's, London, 2003, no. 65. London, Royal Academy, The Great Age of British Watercolours 1750-1880, January - April 1993, no. 213. London, W/S Fine Art, Summer 2007, no. 39. As the authors of the Great Age of English Watercolours catalogue acknowledged, Middleton's tour of Kent in 1847, when he was only twenty, produced 'a number of his best free watercolour landscapes'. In The Norwich School of Artists Moore observes that '1847 proved to be the annus mirabilis of Middleton's life and career' (1985, p. 144). Several watercolours of this date, and of a similar size to the present drawing, are in the Norwich Castle Museum. It seems probable that Middleton accompanied his tutor Henry Bright (1810-1873) on his tour of Kent in 1847. For drawings by Bright of Kent and Tunbridge see, M. Allthorpe-Guyton, Henry Bright 1810-1873 Paintings and Drawings in Norwich Castle Museum, Norfolk Museums Service, 1986, pp. 78, 80-81, nos. 50, 54 and 55.

John Middleton (British, 1828-1856) Sheringham Hall from the Park signed with initials and dated 1852, pencil on buff paperheightened with white, 25.5 x 36.5cm (10 1/16 x 143/8in). Purchased by Abbott Upcher in 1811, Sheringham Park was designedand laid out by Humphrey Repton, while the Hall was designed andbuilt by his son, John Adey Repton. Due to its position and thenorth Norfolk coast's glacial northerly winds, Repton Jnr chose asouth facing site for the Hall, in the lee of a wooded hillside. InJuly 1813 the Upcher family laid the foundation stone, butfollowing the untimely death of Abbott Upcher in 1819, the houseremained incomplete and unoccupied until 1839, when Henry RameyUpcher and his family finally took up residence. Today, the Hall isstill a private residence, and the Park is in the care of theNational Trust.

John Middleton (British, 1828-1856) Clovelly watercolour, 33 x 47cm (13 x 18 1/2in). Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 Provenance: with Mandells Gallery, Elm Hill, Norwich. Middleton is recorded as painting in Devon in 1850, and this particular work demonstrates the artist's ability to paint the dramatic nuances of the landscape.

John Middleton (1827-1856)
An old cottage at Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Add. Notes: signed with initials, inscribed and dated 'Tonbridge [sic] Wells/JM. 1847.' (lower left) pencil and watercolour 12¼ x 18 in. (31 x 45.7 cm.) Provenance
Notes: It seems probable that Middleton accompanied his tutor Henry Bright (1810-1873) on his tour of Kent in 1847. For drawings by Bright of Kent and Tunbridge see, M. Allthorpe-Guyton, Henry Bright 1810-1873 Paintings and Drawings in Norwich Castle Museum, Norfolk Museums Service, 1986, p. 78, 80, 81, nos. 50, 54 and 55. As A. Moore, The Norwich School of Artists, 1985, p. 144, observes: '1847 proved to be the annus mirabilis of Middleton's life and career'; several watercolours of this date, and of a similar size to the drawing in this lot, are in the Norwich Castle Museum. The watercolours of Bullingstone, Kent, Alby, Norfolk, and Blofield are all illustrated by Moore, op.cit., pp. 142, 143, and 144 respectively. For another drawing by Middleton of Tunbridge Wells see lot 126.
Provenance: The Bolingbroke Collection, and by descent. Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 9 March 1989, lot 103.

signed and dated 1848, oil on canvas, footnote: provenance: it is likely that this is a work included in the sale of works by john middleton, from the collection of mrs middleton (the artist's mother), 13-15 june 1883, lot 559 'gunton park - a beech glade, 19" circular'. for a similar work see the celebrated painting also executed in 1848 entitled 'cantley beck' in the collection of the castle museum, norwich. john middleton died of consumption (unmarried) at the early age of 29, his passing being much lamented. his mother lived on to exhibit many of his works in norwich.