SCOTT, Samuel - b. ~1702 London, d. 1772 Bath - WGA

SCOTT, Samuel

(b. ~1702 London, d. 1772 Bath)

English marine and topographical painter and etcher. He began as a marine painter in the tradition of the van de Veldes, but he turned to topographical views in the manner of Canaletto, who was then enjoying great success in England. He was not simply a mechanical imitator, however, and had a feeling for the English atmosphere that is lacking in Canaletto, who brought the Venetian light with him to England. Scott also could achieve a distinctive grandeur of design, as in an Arch of Westminster Bridge (Tate Gallery, London), which is often considered his masterpiece. He left London in 1765 and settled in Bath for reason of health, evidently painting little in his later years.

A Thames Wharf

Samuel Scott and other artists began to paint views of the River Thames after Canaletto arrived from Venice in 1746.

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Departure from England of Francis, Duke of Lorraine, 1731

This work is characteristic of Scott’s mature style in which he carefully juxtaposes the large, powerful ships with the calm and serene waters in which they rest. The painting depicts Francis I, Duke of Lorraine leaving English shores. Born Francis Stephen, he was Duke of Lorraine from 1729 to 1735, when he ceded his Duchy to Stanislaus I of Poland in exchange for the grand duchy of Tuscany.

The painting is signed lower left on driftwood: S Scott.

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Part of Old Westminster Bridge

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Shipping at Anchor in the Thames Estuary, near Wapping

During the eighteenth century the Thames was the main artery of London, and shipping the principal means of transport. Five hundred feet wider than it is today, its crowded banks, teaming with activity and crammed with every imaginable vessel, would have been a familiar sight and an everyday reality for the city’s inhabitants. This painting captures all the bustle and commotion of river life in every detail.

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Shipping on the Thames off Rotherhithe

This painting, representing the area neighbouring Rotherhithe in the extreme North East of the London borough of Southwark, shows the influence of Canaletto, who arrived in London in 1746.

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The Building of Westminster Bridge

The view is from one of the timber yards on the Surrey shore looking south along the Thames. It is an elegant synthesis of refined London topography and bustling water-borne life. The foreground is dominated by a view of tree trunks loaded on a barge. This timber was needed to provide the centre for the arches of Westminster Bridge, which is shown in a state of partial construction beyond.

The painting is signed and dated lower left: Sam Scott 1750.

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The Thames at Westminster Bridge with Barges

This view of London shows Westminster from the Lambeth shore. From left to right can be seen Westminster Abbey, with one of the towers designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor under scaffolding, Westminster Hall, and the Tower of St Margaret’s Church which is flying the Royal Standard. Further to the right the Banqueting Hall is clearly visible, as well as the newly completed Westminster Bridge, and in the foreground the barge of the Ironmongers Company rows downstream accompanied by a number of smaller rowing boats.

The occasion depicted here is the rehearsal for the Lord Mayor’s Procession, an annual ceremony held in November in which the newly elected Mayor was rowed downstream to be sworn in before the Barons of the Exchequer at Westminster Hall.

The painting is signed and dated lower left on driftwood: S Scott 1746.

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