John Dugmore of
Swaffham (1793–1871) was a British
draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to:
* An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century
* An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...
and
grand-tourist. He realized at least 130 drawings and watercolours, most of them in Germany, France and Italy.
Biography
Born in a Norfolk noble family, he had a deep classical education. Renowned for his taste in arts, he moved to London to seek his fame and fortune at the Royal Court, where he met his ‘patron’,
William Charles Keppel (1772-1849), 4th Earl of Albemarle. Dugmore was probably responsible for Keppel children's education.
The Grand Tour
In 1820, Dugmore accompanied in the
Grand Tour a son of Charles Keppel, perhaps George Thomas (1799-1891), later 6th Earl of
Albemarle, Viscount of
Bury and Baron of
Ashford Ashford may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Ashford, New South Wales
*Ashford, South Australia
*Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia
Ireland
*Ashford, County Wicklow
*Ashford Castle, County Galway
United Kingdom
* Ashford, Kent, a town
** ...
, who made a brilliant military career (started at
Waterloo
Waterloo most commonly refers to:
* Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat
* Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place.
Waterloo may also refer to:
Other places
Antarctica
*King George Island (S ...
) as well as was a memorialist, a distinguished collector and a member of the English Society of Antiquaires. They moved from Scotland to Western
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, France, Switzerland and Italy. In around 20 months, Dugmore fixed on paper everything that surprised him, mostly mountains, lakes, rivers and other natural features. Sometimes he sketched interesting architecture or historical places, for instance the cell in the
Great St. Bernard Hospice
The Great St Bernard Hospice (french: Hospice du Grand St-Bernard; it, Ospizio del Gran San Bernardo; german: Hospiz auf dem Grossen St. Bernhard), named after Bernard of Menthon, is a hospice and hostel for travelers at the Great St Bernard Pas ...
where
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
slept during his crossing of the Alps (1800) or the Clermont Castle, former residence of
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer.
He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...
.
Works
Lady Hutton, Dugmore's daughter-in-law, mentioned the existence of many albums filled by 130 c. drawings. 65 drawings are recorded in detail in Lady Hutton's last will. Among them, 47 were recently discovered by Guy Peppiat and offered on sale at an English auction house. Another one is filed in Sabin Galleries archives, London. These works are usually made on a slightly cream paper, 260x200 mm., by pencil, pen and black ink.
[The 47 mentioned works are listed in Giacomo Pintus, Entries 117-118, in ''Idea y Sentimiento. Itinerarios por el dibujo de Rafael a Cézanne'', Barcelona, 2007, pp. 299-301.]
Value
Dugmore's urban landscapes are visual witnesses of the shape of many main and minor European cities, among them Paris,
Vichy,
Clermont-Ferrand,
Lyon,
Schandau
Bad Schandau (; hsb, Žandow) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the valley of the Kirnitzsch and in the area often described as S ...
,
Tivoli
Tivoli may refer to:
* Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli
Buildings
* Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855
* Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), a ...
,
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
,
Florence and
Siena. Dugmore is considered relevant for his ability in feeling and amplifying the aesthetics which he was meeting. For instance, his ‘German’ drawings are very linear and pure; on the opposite side his ‘French’ drawings are ‘touched’ by pencil and brush in a way that seems largely to anticipate the impressionist idea of the light.
Museums
Three works by Dugmore are included in the ''Progetto Linea'', a large private project for increasing the paper cabinets in Italian public museums of art.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugmore, John
1793 births
1871 deaths
British draughtsmen
British watercolourists