Workmen by a Gravel Pit, John Augustus Atkinson (1775 - 1833)
watercolour on paper, framed
12.1 x 16.5 cm.
Provenance: With Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd. (No. 38134)
John Augustus Atkinson was born in London in 1775. At the age of nine he went to stay in St. Petersburg with his uncle James Walker, who was at that time court engraver to Empress Catherine the Great. Having been encouraged by Catherine and her son Paul I to study in the picture galleries, he was later comissioned by the Emperor to paint numerous paintings depicting Russia's history.
In 1801 he returned to London where two years later he published A Picturesque Representation of the Manners, Customs, and Amusements of the Russians, which contained 100 plates drawn and etched by himself. In 1808 he was elected to the Society of Painters in Watercolours. Many of his works depict naval scenes and battle scenes during the Napoleonic wars, including one of the Battle of Waterloo which was engraved by John Burnet. His works are in numerous collections including the Tate, The Courtauld and the National Maritime Museum.