Just down the road is one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.  King’s College, Cambridge has for centuries had a reputation for excellence.  It is, also, due to it’s architecture and chapel, a favourite with artists of all mediums.  Three ink and wash drawings of King’s are this chapters topic with a small twist too.

King’s College Gatehouse by Night ink and wash drawing

An atmospheric drawing of the Gatehouse of #King’sCollege,Cambridge.  The signature of thee artist appears to be Jack ____ Kennedy but I’m not sure about this.  Done on a modern day sketchbook page the artist has achieved a stillness of place which could only be achieved in the wee hours of the morn before the tourists and students rise to their learning.  King’s Parade as one rarely gets to enjoy.

King’s College pen and wash drawing by Deirdre James

To a view of #King’sCollegeChapel from the back.  This line and wash by Deirdre James is nicely accurate architecturally and yet loose enough to allow the wash to augment it’s depiction.  I am not sure of the age of this work – I will return to this idea later and I don’t know why the ducks appear but this was a work sheet to the artist.

Chichester Market Cross pen and wash drawing by Deirdre James

The second pen and wash by #DeirdreJames is one that I have yet to place.  I feel I know this place but I have yet to come up with the answer.  It is quite similar to the domed top of the Gatehouse of King’s College but it is different.  The present gatehouse was finished in 1828 from a design by William Wilkens.

I return now to the age of the two draws signed by Deirdre James.  The only artist by that name I have found worked for Foley Fine Bone China in Fenton.  I believe she worked for the company around 1950.

Strasbourg Lily watermark (partial) – possibly C & I Honig @ 1770

The twist here is in the watermark found on the paper of the chapel drawing.  The paper itself is a laid paper.  We find we have the upper half of the watermark called #StrasburgLily.  The mark is a fleur-de-lis in a shield beneath a crown.  It was used by different makers in one form or another across Europe.  The mark appears on paper from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  Usually at the bottom of the watermark there would appear the initials of the individual paper maker.  Artists from Rembrandt to James Whistler have used Strasburg Lily watermarked paper. So if these are modern drawings – where did the artist come up with the paper?  Old or modern?  Mystery indeed.