WC Piguenit
(Australia 27 Aug 1836–17 Jul 1914)
- Title
- Mount Ida, Lake St Clair, Tasmania
- Year
- (circa 1881)
- Media category
- Watercolour
- Materials used
- pencil, watercolour, scraping out, white gouache highlights on white wove paper
- Dimensions
-
33.2 x 52.9cm sheet
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1882
- Accession number
- 5703
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
William Charles Piguenit was born in Hobart, the son of a convict of French Huguenot extraction. He was employed as a mapmaker by the Tasmanian Lands and Survey Department in 1850 and learnt lithography there from the painter Frank Dunnett (1822-91) and Robin Vaughan Hood (best remembered now as a framer, 1802-88) and developed an interest in photography. Piguenit accompanied James R Scott's expedition to Arthur Plains and Port Davey in 1871, to Lake St Clair in 1873 and exhibited photographs and paintings throughout the 1870s. He moved to Sydney in 1880, settled in Hunter's Hill and travelled extensively in search of landscape subjects. He visited England and Wales in 1898 and 1900. He is perhaps best known for his Tasmanian landscapes and his monumental painting 'The flood on the Darling 1890' (1895) in the Gallery's collection.
Although this watercolour was awarded second prize in the John Sands competition of 1881, its three judges, E L Montefiore, Eccleston Du Faur and John Garbett, were reported in the 'Telegraph' as stating that for 'purely artistic qualities' they considered it better than the work to which they gave first prize, C E Hern's 'Govett's Gorge looking towards the Valley of the Grose'. However, they believed that Hern's work (also purchased by the Gallery in 1881) suited the requirements of the prize better – 'being an excellent representation of a well-known and very characteristic scene, familiar to all tourists in New South Wales.'
excerpt from Hendrik Kolenberg, Anne Ryan and Patricia James, '19th century Australian watercolours, drawings & pastels in the Gallery's collection', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2005
- Bibliography (9)
-
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Anne Ryan (Australia) (Author), Patricia James (Author), 19th century Australian watercolours, drawing and pastels from the Gallery's collection, Domain, 2005, 70, 71 (colour illus.).
James Backhouse Walker (Australia, b.1841, d.1899) (Author), D Michael Stoddart (Australia) (Editor), Walk to the west, Hobart, 1993, 41 (colour illus.). plate no. 15
Christa Johannes (Australia) (Author), Tony Brown (Australia) (Author), W.C. Piguenit 1836-1914: retrospective, Hobart, 1992, 24 (colour illus.), 107. cat.no. 72
Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Nineteenth century Australian watercolours from the collection, Sydney, 1991. cat.no. 58
Jean Campbell (Australia) (Author), Australian watercolour painters: 1780 to the present day, Roseville, 1989, 59 (colour illus.).
National Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Australian Commonwealth Jubilee celebrations 1951, Sydney, 1951. cat.no. 6
'Fine arts'., The Sydney Morning Herald 21 Nov 1881, 21 Nov 1881.
'John Sands' competition'., Sydney daily telegraph 19 Nov 1881, 19 Nov 1881.
'Fine arts'., The Sydney Morning Herald 16 Nov 1881, 16 Nov 1881.
- Exhibition history (14)
-
John Sands' art competition (1881), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Nov 1881 -.
110 Years of Australian Art, Blaxland Gallery, Sep 1950 -.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Katoomba Town Hall, 06 Mar 1951–20 Mar 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Lithgow Council Chambers, 03 Apr 1951–17 Apr 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Cowra Town Hall, 22 May 1951–05 Jun 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Grenfell Council Chambers, 19 Jun 1951–03 Jul 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Young Public Library, 14 Aug 1951–28 Aug 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Cootamundra Council Chambers, 18 Sep 1951–02 Oct 1951.
An historical survey of Australian watercolour painting, Wagga Wagga Council Chambers, 20 Oct 1951–30 Oct 1951.
Nineteenth century Australian watercolours from the collection (1991), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 13 Apr 1991–07 Jul 1991.
W.C. Piguenit 1836-1914, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 16 Dec 1992–14 Feb 1993.
W.C. Piguenit 1836-1914, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 10 Mar 1993–25 Apr 1993.
W.C. Piguenit 1836-1914, Art Gallery of Western Australia, 13 May 1993–04 Jul 1993.
19th century Australian watercolours, drawings & pastels, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 06 Apr 2005–24 Jul 2005.
