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The North East Prospect of the Country up Thurston Water from Peelnears

Stephen Penn

1733

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Baroque Rococo painting 18th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

The North East Prospect of the Country up Thurston Water from Peelnears is a 1733 watercolor by Stephen Penn, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Stephen Penn
When & what style?: 1733 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a wide view of rolling hills and a river winding through a green valley. In the distance, jagged mountains rise up, while closer to the water, small trees and patches of land appear. A few tiny boats float on the river, and the whole scene looks calm and quiet. The title at the top tells you this is a view of Thurston Water, and the artist labeled it in 1733. The hills and mountains are carefully labeled with names like "Burner Hill" and "Slate Stone Fell." If you like this kind of landscape, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour by Stephen Penn from 1733, titled *The North East Prospect of the Country up Thurston Water from Peelnears*, depicts a panoramic view of the valley with fourteen numbered points of interest. The work is one of four known prospects by Penn, all created in northern England during the early eighteenth century and now associated with amateur topographical recording. The scene represents Thurston Water, now known as Coniston Water in Cumbria, with the title inscribed at the top center. The composition employs a bird’s-eye perspective to capture the landscape’s expanse.

Read the full account in the museum source.