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| The Building of Westminster Bridge |
Artist:Samuel Scott (British, London ca. 1702–1772 Bath)
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:24 x 44 3/8 in. (61 x 112.7 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Purchase, Charles B. Curtis Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1944
Accession Number:44.56
To the left in this view of London and the Thames River is the still unfinished Westminster Bridge. Behind it from left to right are Saint Johns, Smith Square, Westminster Hall, Westminster Abbey, and the tower of Saint Margaret's church. Work on Westminster Bridge began in 1738 and was completed in 1750. It is shown here in approximately the state it would have reached by 1742.
Catalogue Entry
Samuel Scott's early seascapes are indebted in style and subject matter to the Dutch painter Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633–1707). He turned to topographical views along the Thames in the 1740s, and his later works show the influence of Canaletto, who arrived in England in 1746.
London's Westminster Bridge, one of the most important engineering enterprises of the Georgian era, was built by the Swiss engineer Charles Labelye between 1739 and 1750. The bridge was constructed from the center outward, as recorded in Scott's painting. Curiously, Westminster Abbey appears in the background with the nave incorrectly angled with respect to the crossing and the tower incorrectly angled with respect to the nave, topographical anomalies that were carried over from a watercolor of 1742 (Southwark Art Collection, London).
The barge at the center is that used by the lord mayor of London; however, the picture does not show his annual visit to Westminster Hall but rather a less formal occasion, probably a trial run, which was called for because the currents on the approach to the landing stage were treacherous (Kingzett 1982).
The painting had as a pendant a view of Old London Bridge signed and dated 1747 (private collection, London); the two works were separated in 1914. Scott painted a second, larger pair of pendants for Sir Robert Littleton in 1749 (Governor and Company of the Bank of England; each 32 x 59 in.).
[2010; adapted from Baetjer 2009]
Copyright Image
https://images.metmuseum.org
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