Room 3
Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hotel de Cluny, Paris
Once Girtin had made a sketch of a particular place, he was able to make any number of finished versions of the composition, as and when they were ordered by patrons. These versions could be very similar indeed. This work is in fact the second watercolour Girtin made of these Roman ruins. He had almost finished the first when a splash of water accidentally ran down the centre of the composition, ruining the work and forcing him to start again. Accidents aside, the possibility of selling more than one version of an image meant that the ability to make replicas was one of the watercolourist's most basic skills. |
