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The image shows a rustic half-timbered building with a sharp, angular roof. The horizon is in the middle with a faint misty line hinting at distant land and possibly water. A lone figure stands nearby. The building has clean lines and soft brushstrokes to depict the texture of the walls. The color scheme is mostly monochromatic with shades of grey, beige, and soft sepia. The brushstrokes create a serene atmosphere, suggesting shadows over the landscape and trees in the background blending into the sky.
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The image shows a rustic half-timbered building with a sharp, angular roof. The horizon is in the middle with a faint misty line hinting at distant land and possibly water. A lone figure stands nearby. The building has clean lines and soft brushstrokes to depict the texture of the walls. The color scheme is mostly monochromatic with shades of grey, beige, and soft sepia. The brushstrokes create a serene atmosphere, suggesting shadows over the landscape and trees in the background blending into the sky.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Cottage at Dorking in Surrey

John Sell Cotman

Date
c. 1800/1801
Medium
gray wash and graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 15.8 x 25.4 cm (6 1/4 x 10 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1994.13.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1776 to 1800
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • British
  • Rustic
  • Domestic
  • United Kingdom
  • architecture
  • landscape
  • Dorking, Surrey
Provenance

Ian Craft, London; purchased 1994 by NGA.

Inscription

center verso in graphite: Dorking Surrey

NGA object ID 83979. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.