Coblenz
Summary
View from shore looking across a stretch of water which is crossed by a long bridge, encompassing a tower near the left end. On left, a figure stands on the shore with a dog. In the centre of the water is a large object, possibly a boat. On the right hand side of the bridge is a large town. Several buildings are visible on top of the hills in the distance. Coblenz is a picturesque town in Germany, situated where the rivers Rhine and Mosel join. This is a copy of a watercolour by JMW Turner that belonged to the artic critic John Ruskin. It was displayed at Manchester's Horsfall Museum to illustrate Ruskin's advice on composition, from 'The Elements of Drawing', 1857.
Display Label
Art for All: Thomas Horsfall’s Gift to Manchester Thomas Coglan Horsfall (1844-1932) was a pioneering philanthropist who established the Manchester Art Museum in 1884 in Harpurhey, moving it to larger premises at Ancoats Hall in 1886. The Museum was at the forefront of developments in art education, operating an innovative picture loan scheme for schools. In the 1880s, Harpurhey and Ancoats were crowded working class areas: the residents lived hard lives in impoverished surroundings. Horsfall wanted to make them aware of natural beauty by means of the Museum. He decided to locate the Museum close to their homes and to open it until 10 o’clock at night and on Sundays so that working people could visit. The Museum showed decorative and industrial art, original paintings and drawings, and copious reproductions. The works of art were arranged in themed rooms and everything had an explanatory label. Clubs for rambling, singing and woodcarving were formed and twice-weekly entertainments were held in the Museum’s concert hall. In 1918, the Museum and its contents were transferred to the management of Manchester City Council. The Museum finally closed in 1953. The majority of the items in this exhibition are from the original Museum. The exhibition has been co-curated by the Year 5 pupils at St Augustine’s CE Primary School in Harpurhey, Manchester.
Object Name
Coblenz
Creators Name
Date Created
1860 (circa)
Dimensions
support: 25.3cm x 30.4cm
accession number
1918.891
Collection Group
Place of creation
Europe
Support
paper
Medium
watercolour
pencil
Credit
Transferred from the Horsfall Museum Collection, 1918
Legal
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