Chancel of Trinity Chapel, New York
Medium
Watercolor, gouache, black ink, graphite, and gum arabic on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
18 3/8 x 14 1/4 in. (46.7 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Watercolor
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
Accession Number
54.90.157
Tags
Art Historical Context
John William Hill’s 1856 depiction of the Chancel of Trinity Chapel captures the quiet splendor of a mid-nineteenth-century New York church interior. Working in watercolor, gouache, ink, graphite, and gum arabic on off-white paper, Hill renders the Gothic Revival sanctuary with remarkable clarity, highlighting the carved wooden altar screen, clustered columns, and richly patterned tile floor. The medium’s luminous washes and fine detail allow the light filtering through unseen windows to glow softly across stone and wood, inviting viewers to linger within the sacred space. Hill, an American a...
About the Artist
John William Hill
American (born England), London 1812–1879 West Nyack, New York