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| HANNAN, William WILLIAM HANNAN Active 1751-1772 English School A View of West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Oil on canvas, inscribed on stretcher verso Provenance: Almost certainly the collection of Sir John Dashwood according to the inscription verso: “High Wycome, showing house of Sir John Dashwood, from his collection” Believed to have been born in Scotland, Hannan was a decorative historical and topographical landscape painter rather in the style of George Lambert. His paintings have much charm and the style is sometimes more redolent of a watercolour rather than an oil. They are often large and one was reproduced in reduced size in Britton and Bayley`s “Beauties of England and Wales” in 1803. He was known as the originator of the fine line engravings (executed 1754-7) of the house and grounds of Wycombe Park which launched the career of the renowned engraver William Woollett. It was Sir Francis Dashwood (Lord Le Despencer) who was Hannan’s principal patron. Wycombe Park was the seat of the Dashwoods and the artist painted several views of the house and grounds in 1751, exhibiting one at the Society of Artists in 1769. He also undertook part of the interior decoration of the house with several neo-classical ceilings and a fresco “Chariot of Night” in 1770. In this, it would appear he was in some sort of partnership with the itinerant Italian decorative artist Guiseppe Borgnis who with his sons Giovanni and Peter Maria, was brought to Wycombe from Italy by Sir Francis Dashwood in 1753. Hannan had so much work at Wycombe that he actually lived on the premises. He exhibited works at the S.A. between 1769 and 1772 including seven views of the Lake District with titles such as: “A View of Lowther Hall in Westmoreland”, “Asham Rush in Westmoreland” and “A View of Keswick, the Lake of Derwent Water, the Black Lead Mines in Borrowdale, Craswate Church etc, taken from the foot of Skiddaw” West Wycombe house was built in 1707 by Sir Francis Dashwood but extensively remodeled by his son, Lord Despencer circa 1765. The beautifully landscaped gardens, which are so well represented in this painting, were designed mostly by Nicholas Revett and Humphrey Repton and continued to evolve up to the end of the eighteenth century. It was given to the National Trust by Sir John Dashwood, Bt. The main house is visible on the far left of the picture. The early cascade shown here was demolished in Victorian times as it was considered rather vulgar for contemporary taste and it was rebuilt in the form that can be seen to this day. The church on the top of the hill is the Church of St Lawrence and was designed entirely as part of the garden. Its golden ball design on the spire was borrowed from the Custom’s House in Venice. On the far right one can see the stern of the galleon that served as an amusement for guests as it floated around the lake. It had several cannon that were fired regularly to add to the excitement. Price: POA |
