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The Bellringer's Chamber, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Clare

Kenneth Rowntree

1940

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Magic Realism Early Modern

Dominant colour

The Bellringer's Chamber, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Clare is a 1940 watercolor by Kenneth Rowntree, a Magic Realism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Kenneth Rowntree
When & what style?: 1940 · Magic Realism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

The Bellringer's Chamber, SS. Peter and Paul Church, Clare is a watercolour work. It was created by Kenneth Rowntree around 1940-1942. The artist's style is described as crisp and colourful, with a focus on the written word in his pictures of churches and chapels. This is evident in his depiction of a notice board detailing early church donors. To learn more about the techniques used in this watercolour, consider looking into the technique of sfumato.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour depicts the bellringer's chamber inside SS. Peter and Paul Church in Clare, focusing on a large black notice board listing early donors. Light enters from a small, high leaded window on the left, while a red cloth with a fleur-de-lys pattern is draped over a railing in the lower left corner. The church itself originated after the Norman Conquest, with its nave, chancel, and belfry dating to the fifteenth century. This work was created as part of the Recording Britain project, a wartime initiative to document aspects of British life and heritage.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Kenneth Rowntree

Kenneth Rowntree painted quiet British places in watercolour around 1940, from barn-stacked Essex fields to the carved oak pews of Caernarvonshire chapels.

See the richer artist page