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The Hunterian - Old Ways New Roads
  • Exhibition
    • The Theatre of War
    • Antiquities
    • Natural History
    • Custom and Improvement
    • Picturesque Prospects and Literary Landscapes
    • Timeline of Travels
    • Explore by Location
  • Events
    • Upcoming
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    • Contributions
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Exhibition > Exhibition > Picturesque Prospects and Literary Landscapes > Picturesque and Sublime Scotland > Dumbarton Rock

William Gilpin

Dumbarton Rock in Observations on Several Parts of Great Britain, Particularly the High-lands of Scotland, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1776

Dumbarton Rock

For Gilpin, the sketching of mountain scenery was about ‘great outlines’, not detail. “[T]he art of finishing is frippery”, he warned. His view of the castle-rock of Dumbarton illustrates these principles. With the luminous, enveloping mist flattening and softening its contours, unifying its broken parts while obscuring its more distinctive features, the fortress is barely distinguishable from the rock. Much of what was distinctive about Gilpin’s drawings was not readily translated into a line engraving. It made him reluctant to publish his theories or tours until the advent of aquatint made it possible to reproduce the effects of a wash drawing.

1808
Aquatint
University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections

ancient monument Glasgow Highlands tour illustration picturesque publication scenic spot tour account traveller

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  • Dumbarton Rock, William Gilpin, 1808, University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections

    Tour Account

    William Gilpin (1724-1804)
  • Teaching Resource

    Scottish Romanticism and the Highland Tour
  • Object

    Dumbarton

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Copyright © 2021 The Hunterian | Old Ways New Roads
The University of Glasgow is a registered Scottish charity:
Registration Number SC004401

  • Accessibility Statement  Freedom of Information
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  • Exhibition
    • The Theatre of War
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    • Natural History
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    • Picturesque Prospects and Literary Landscapes
    • Timeline of Travels
    • Explore by Location
  • Events
    • Upcoming
    • Previous Events
  • Your Ways
    • Contributions
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  • Discover More
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  • Accessibility statement
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  • Privacy and cookies
  • Terms of use
  • Exhibition
    • The Theatre of War
    • Antiquities
    • Natural History
    • Custom and Improvement
    • Picturesque Prospects and Literary Landscapes
    • Timeline of Travels
    • Explore by Location
  • Events
    • Upcoming
    • Previous Events
  • Your Ways
    • Contributions
    • Research Projects
  • Discover More
  • Blog
  • Credits
  • Contact
  • Accessibility statement
  • Freedom of Information
  • FOI publication scheme
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Terms of use
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