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Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle
 (1909)

Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
122.6 × 153.6 cm
Place/s of Execution
England
Inscription
inscribed in black paint l.l.: A. STREETON
inscribed in pen and ink on Carnegie Institute, Pittsbugh USA paper label
vertically on reverse: "Corfe Castle" / Arthur Streeton / Arthur Streeton /
10 Hill Rd. London.N.W.
Accession Number
759-2
Department
Australian Painting
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1914
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Gallery location
Not on display
Subjects (general)
Architecture Landscapes
Subjects (specific)
castles (fortifications) clouds Corfe Castle (inhabited place) escarpments (landforms) peaks (landforms) ruins sky United Kingdom (nation)
Movements
Australian Impressionism Heidelberg School
In 1891, Arthur Streeton was the first Australian born artist to have his work shown at London's Royal Academy. When his friend Charles Conder went to Europe in 1890 he took with him Streeton's Golden summers which was included at the RA exhibition of 1891 and the Paris Salon in 1892. Streeton moved to England in 1899 and lived there intermittently until returning permanently to Australia in 1929. His work was seen regularly at the RA until 1924 and Corfe Castle was listed as number 187 in the RA exhibition of 1910. There is a marked stylistic difference between Steeton's Australian landscapes and those he produced in Britain for a British audience. He perhaps changed his style for his audience and it is debatable which manner is more appealing to our audience.

Frame

It is not clear if this painting, painted in England, came to Melbourne framed or unframed. It is more than likely the frame was made in Melbourne around the time the painting was acquired. If so it was likely to have been made by John Thallon. There are a number of frames in this form carrying a Thallon label. The frame is in swept edge Louis XV style, with strongly articulated centre and corner decoration.
Frames like this are built up on an ogee profiled timber base with the decorative work pressed in composition from carved wooden moulds and glued to the surface.

A number of paintings by Streeton appear in frames similar to this in the early twentieth century, strongly contrasting with frames used by the artist in the 1890’s.
Streeton was known to up-date frames on paintings when they came to him for restoration.

The painting was cleaned in 1995.

Framemaker
Unknown - 20th century
Date
c.1909-1914
Materials

timber, composition, gold leaf

Condition

re-surfaced 1995

Dimensions
160.6 x 190.6 x 18.5 cm