Title

Sentry-box Reach, Hawkesbury River, New South Wales

1886

Artist

Julian Ashton

England, Australia

27 Jan 1851 – 27 Apr 1942

Details

Other Titles

Sentry Box Reach [1948]
North Peat's Ferry, Hawkesbury River [1904]
Scene on the Hawkesbury [1886]

Place where the work was made

Hawkesbury River → Sydney → New South Wales → Australia

Date

1886

Media category

Watercolour

Materials used

pencil, watercolour, scraping out on paper

Dimensions

59.7 x 92.4 cm sheet; 85.2 x 121.0 x 9.3cm frame

Signature & date

Signed l.l., brown watercolour "J.R. ASHTON". Dated l.r., "1884".

Credit

Gift of Howard Hinton 1924

Location

Not on display

Accession number

22

Copyright

Reproduction requests

Artist information

Julian Ashton
Works in the collection

30

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About

Ashton's watercolour was painted when he was a staff artist for 'The picturesque atlas of Australasia'; a position which allowed him to travel widely. The Hawkesbury soon became a favourite haunt for painting. He returned to it frequently with artist friends. This view of Sentry Box Reach is a classic example of nineteenth-century British watercolour technique – transparent washes of watercolour over barely perceptible pencil outlines, occasionally with some minor scraping out for highlights. It is a particularly convincing study of the expanse and conditions of the Hawkesbury landscape.

The work was exhibited in the Art Society of New South Wales annual exhibition, held at Sydney Town Hall, and which was open 19 April to 1 May 1888.
Exhibition history
Shown in 5 exhibitions
- Seventh Annual Exhibition Art Society of New South Wales (1886), Sydney Town Hall, Australia, 19 Apr 1886–01 May 1886
- Howard Hinton memorial exhibition (1948), National Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 13 Apr 1948–30 Apr 1948
- Nineteenth century Australian watercolours from the collection (1991), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 13 Apr 1991–07 Jul 1991
- Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 18 Nov 1995–14 Jan 1996
  
  Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, 1996–1996
  
  Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, 1996–1996
- A Nation Imagined: The Artists of the Picturesque Atlas, National Library of Australia, Canberra, 12 Mar 2021–11 Jul 2021
Bibliography
Referenced in 13 publications
- Julian Ashton, Now came still evening on, Sydney, 1941, 51.
- 'Baarmutha', Windsor and Richmond Gazette, 'Sentry Box Reach', pg. 5, Windsor, 09 Jan 1925, 5.
- Caroline Clemente, Australian watercolours 1802-1926: in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1991, 71 (illus.).
- Dinah Dysart, Julian Ashton 1851-1942, Sydney, 1982, 4, 21 (illus.). not exhibited
- R.H. Goddard, Lionel Lindsay and C.B. Newling, A memorial volume to Howard Hinton patron of art, Sydney, 1951, 91 (colour illus.). cat.no. 53
- Joclyn Howell and Joclyn Howell, Riverside Plants of the Hawkesbury-Napean, Sydney, 1995, cover. PS Worksheet 400
- Hendrik Kolenberg, Nineteenth century Australian watercolours from the collection, Sydney, 1991. cat.no. 4
- Hendrik Kolenberg, Australian watercolours 1880s to 1990s, 'Introduction: Painting in watercolour', pg. 8-16, Sydney, 1995, 2-3 (colour illus.), 8-9, 17 (colour illus.), 113. cat.no. 1. The colour illustration on pages 2-3 is a detail of the image.
- Lionel Lindsay, Howard Hinton memorial exhibition, 'Howard Hinton, OBE', pg. 2-3, Sydney, 1948, 10. cat.no. 53; titled 'Sentry Box Reach'
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, 'The Art Society's exhibition', pg. 4, Sydney, 20 Apr 1886, 4. "Mr Julian R Ashton has a number of charming views taken on the Hawkesbury River, amongst the best being 'Webb's Creek' (227) and 'Sentrybox Mountain' (192)'.
- Editor Unknown, Illustrated Sydney news, 'The Art Society's exhibition', pg. 11, 16, Sydney, 15 May 1888, 16 (illus.). Line drawing by Arthur Collingridge of works in the Art Society of NSW exhibition, including Ashton's watercolour 'Scene on the Hawkesbury', illus.no. 5.
- The Sydney Mail, 'John Sands' Picture Gallery', pg. 27, Sydney, 06 Jul 1904, 27 (illus.). titled 'North Peat's Ferry, Hawkesbury River'
- Editor Unknown (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Art exhibition', Sydney, 27 Oct 1884. page unknown