Artwork

A View in the Island of Jamaica, of Part of the River Cobre near Spanish Town

A View in the Island of Jamaica, of Part of the River Cobre near Spanish Town is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist John Boydell. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The print reproduces an oil painting by John Boydell dated 1778, depicting a tranquil segment of the River Cobre near Spanish Town in Jamaica.

The print reproduces an oil painting by John Boydell dated 1778, depicting a tranquil segment of the River Cobre near Spanish Town in Jamaica.

The scene foregrounds the river flanked by lush vegetation and a winding road, while in the mid-ground a group of figures, including enslaved laborers, work a cart drawn by oxen, conveying sugar or other goods. Two women dressed in long skirts stand nearby, one holding an open umbrella, indicating the social hierarchy and labor relations of the colonial plantation economy.

The composition presents an idealized pastoral landscape that documents both the topography and the human systems of production central to late eighteenth-century Jamaica.

Technique & Style

The work is an engraving executed by Daniel Lerpinière after a composition by John Boydell, printed on paper that measures 52.7 cm in width by 38.1 cm in height. It depicts a Caribbean riverscape with sky, clouds, birds, vegetation and figures, rendered through fine line work characteristic of late‑18th‑century British printmaking. The image is held in several public collections, including the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Jamaica, the Yale Center for British Art and the British Museum, and was shown in the exhibition Vistas del Sur: Traveler Artists' Landscapes of Latin America from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection.

History & Provenance

The work, titled A View in the Island of Jamaica, of Part of the River Cobre near Spanish Town, was created in 1778. While the painting is attributed to John Boydell, the extant graphic version is an engraving executed by Daniel Lerpinière based on Boydell's design. The piece depicts a landscape featuring the river, vegetation, and human figures, including enslaved individuals and oxen.

This 1778 creation has entered major public collections, including the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Jamaica, the Yale Center for British Art, and the British Museum. The engraving measures 38.1 cm in height and 52.7 cm in width.

The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Jamaica. It entered the collection with inventory number 1971.001. The work was featured in the exhibition Vistas del Sur: Traveler Artists' Landscapes of Latin America from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection.

Overview

John Boydell’s 1790 print titled A View in the Island of Jamaica, of Part of the River Cobre near Spanish Town offers a detailed landscape of a tropical river scene. Executed as an engraving, the work is part of the British Museum’s collection and presents a snapshot of late‑eighteenth‑century Caribbean geography.

Context

The River Cobre flows near Spanish Town, the former capital of Jamaica, a hub of plantation economy in the 18th century. Boydell’s work aligns with contemporary travel literature and visual records that documented the island’s natural resources and settlement patterns for a British audience.