Title Page to a Group of Plans, Elevations and Scenic Interiors of Lea Castle, Worcestershire, Containing a View of New Front to the Ice House
1816
Medium
Watercolor
Dimensions
sheet: 11 x 14 in. (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1956
Accession Number
56.601(1)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor, created by British architect and antiquarian John Carter in 6, serves as the ornate title page for a series of plans, elevations, scenic interiors of Lea Castle Worcestershire, England. Titled *Title Page to a Group Plans, Elevations and Interiors of Lea Castle Worcestershire, Containing a View New Front to the Ice*, it showcases a detailed view of the castle's newly designed ice house facade, adorned with classical columns and graceful arches. Measuring 11 x 14 inches, this sheet exemplifies Carter's passion for documenting Britain's architectural heritage during the Regency era. Carter (1748–1817), a pioneer in Gothic Revival studies, meticulously recorded medieval and historic structures through his publications like *Views of Ancient Buildings in England*. Watercolor was ideal for such works, allowing precise lines and subtle hues to capture stone textures, shadows, and ornamental details with lifelike clarity—techniques that bridged artistry and technical drafting. This piece highlights the era's growing fascination with picturesque ruins and neoclassical additions, preserving Lea Castle's evolution amid industrialization. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, it invites visitors to appreciate how 19th-century draughtsmen like Carter safeguarded cultural landmarks, blending history with aesthetic elegance.
About the Artist
John Carter · 1748–1817
John Carter RA, born in 1942 in Hampton Hill, Middlesex, emerged as a pivotal figure in British abstract art through his innovative sculptures. He began his formal training at Twickenham School of Art from 1958 to 1959, followed by Kingston School of Art from 1959 to 1963, where he studied under the influential painter Terry Frost. A Leverhulme Travelling Scholarship then took him to Italy, enabli...