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Tomb in Hurley Churchyard

Philip Hussey

1940

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Tomb in Hurley Churchyard is a 1940 watercolor by Philip Hussey, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Philip Hussey
When & what style?: 1940
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows an old tomb in a grassy churchyard. The stone is weathered, with ivy climbing its sides and a small cross carved into the top. Behind it, a fence and trees loom, painted in quick, loose strokes. The colors are muted—greens, browns, and a bit of gray—with the tomb’s white stone standing out. The artist used fast, sketchy lines to capture light and shadow, especially on the tomb’s edges. The paper looks aged, matching the scene’s quiet feel. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour by Hussey from 1940, depicting a moss-covered tomb and surrounding gravestones in the churchyard of St. Mary’s, Hurley, it is signed and dated. The work is part of the Recording Britain collection, a wartime initiative funded by the Pilgrim Trust and administered by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime under the Ministry of Labour and National Service. The scheme, directed by Sir Kenneth Clark, aimed to document sites and landscapes across England perceived as vulnerable to war damage or modernization, producing over 1,500 works by 97 artists between 1940 and…

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Philip Hussey

Philip Hussey (1713–1783), was an Irish portrait-painter. Hussey was born at Cloyne, in the county of Cork and his career began as a sailor. He was shipwrecked three times. He drew the figureheads and stern ornaments of…

See the richer artist page