About this artwork
Lear was enchanted by the landscape of mainland Greece and the Greek islands. He travelled to Crete, then under Turkish rule, in spring 1864. His tour began badly; travel proved arduous and the weather was poor. Lear noted in his journal that there was ‘scantily little in this land to draw’. Despite his dissatisfaction, he made nearly 200 sketches during his tour and compiled a detailed travel journal. This evocative sketch shows the view towards the coast from Topolia in western Crete, seen in the morning light.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) English
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title:Topolia, Crete
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date created:1864
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materials:Pencil, pen and brown ink, blue and green wash heightened with white on buff paper
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measurements:34.92 x 52.70 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the National Gallery of Scotland, 2003
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accession number:D 5551.31
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gallery:
Edward Lear
Edward Lear
Although now best known for his nonsense verse, Edward Lear was a superb draughtsman, a talented musician, an intrepid traveller and an outstanding landscape artist and travel writer. He was born in London and began to draw commercially at the age of sixteen. He developed a passion for travelling...
