ID: 700008208 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700008208	Record Type: Movable Work
Images: 1

Interior of a Dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars at the End of its Period of Occupation by Ipswich School (drawing (visual work); John Sell Cotman (British, 1782 - 1842) (British Artist); about 1838 - 1842; J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles, Los A...; 2009.89)

Note: In this powerfully atmospheric scene, Cotman depicts the dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars, which was at the time under threat of demolition. The structure was built about 1300, and the hammerbeam roof was added in the early 1400s. From 1767 it was employed as a schoolroom by the Ipswich School, but by March 1841 it was reportedly little-used since the roof leaked and it was very cold. Cotman's view shows the near-derelict building lit by swathes of golden sunlight, the wall above the fireplace and much of the ceiling blackened by soot. A child's hoop lies abandoned on the floor in the foreground, and a solitary figure contemplates the scene, also serving to give the composition a sense of scale. The giant hammerbeam bays recede with regularity into the distance, culminating in a pointed gothic window full of blue sky, some of the only bright color in a work that is otherwise a symphony of browns, oranges, and grays. Cotman has used layers of watercolor to create the rich mottled effect of the room. He has scratched out and rubbed areas, as well as sometimes adding gum arabic to create depth.To much dismay, the building was finally demolished by the Ipswich Corporation in about 1850; a local caricature of 1851 showed councillors attempting to pull down the sturdy old dormitory schoolroom, while in a parallel scene struggling to shore up the flimsy walls of the new schoolroom that was built to replace it. Other views of the dormitory from the same period show it in a similar state, and an etching published in 1845 by Wat Hagreen after Fred Brett Russel even shows the same child's hoop, and the jar on the windowsill.Cotman was - like many of his contemporaries - enthralled by the picturesque nature and pathos of historic and ruined buildings, and he made numerous compelling views of churches, towers, and grand houses as well as handful of dramatic interiors such as this.

Titles:

Interior of a Dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars at the End of its Period of Occupation by Ipswich School (preferred,C,U,RP,English-P,U,U)

Interior of a Dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars at the End of Its Period of Occupation by the Ipswich School (C,U,English,U,U)

Interior of a Dormitory (C,U,DE,undetermined,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

drawing (visual work) [300033973] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Visual Works (hierarchy name), visual works (works), <visual works by material or technique>)

Classifications:

drawings (preferred)

Creation Date: about 1838 - 1842

Creator Display:

John Sell Cotman (British, 1782 - 1842) (British Artist) [preferred,JPGM]

Cotman, John Sell (English painter and etcher, 1782-1842) [500014103]

Locations:

Current: J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles, Los Angeles county, California, United States) [500329598] J. Paul Getty Museum, J. Paul Getty Trust, Corporate Bodies (Corp. Body)

Repository Numbers: 2009.89

Other: Creation: England [7002445] United Kingdom (nation), Europe (continent), World (facet) (Geographic)

Display Materials: Pen and ink and watercolor

	pens (drawing and writing implements) [300022452]
	.......(Objects Facet, Furnishings and Equipment (hierarchy name), Tools and Equipment (hierarchy name), equipment, <equipment by process>, image-making equipment, <equipment for drafting| drawing| and writing>, <drafting| drawing and writing equipment by specific type>)

	ink [300015012]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by function>, coating (material), <coating by form>)

	watercolor (paint) [300015045]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by function>, coating (material), <coating by form>, paint (coating), <paint by composition or origin>, water-base paint)

Dimensions: 43.7 x 60.3 cm (17 3/16 x 23 3/4 in.)

Cultures:

British (preferred)

General Subject:

interior architecture (preferred)

Specific Subjects:

	Ipswich Blackfriars [700002946]
	.....(Ipswich Blackfriars [700002946], Built Works by class: religious, ceremonial, and funerary structures [700009563], Built Works [700000001]) (CONA)

	dormitory (room) [300081956]
	.....(Objects Facet, Components (hierarchy name), components (objects parts), <components by specific context>, building divisions, rooms and spaces, <rooms and spaces by function>, sleeping spaces) (AAT)

Inscriptions: Inscribed on the back of the backboard: R.J. Miles / 35 Surry S�/ Norwich; backboard also bears a framer's label G.T. Dimmock, 66 London Street, Norwich.

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: drawings, paintings, prints, other two-dimensional media

Sources and Contributors:
Interior of a Dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars at the End of its Period of Occupation by Ipswich School	........ [JPGM,VP]
	........ J. Paul Getty Museum database for collections (2000-)
Interior of a Dormitory of the Ipswich Blackfriars at the End of Its Period of Occupation by the Ipswich School	........ [JPGM]
	........ J. Paul Getty Museum database for collections (2000-)
Interior of a Dormitory	........ [VP]
	........ Getty Vocabulary Program rules

Subject: ....... [JPGM,VP]

Note:
English	..... [JPGM]
	..... J. Paul Getty Museum database for collections (2000-)