The Church of Valéry at Varengeville

Normandy, France 1850-1860

Pencil and watercolour on paper

320 x 235 mm; mount: 400 x 320 mm

This drawing is of interest as an alternative and near-contemporary view of the subject of the Barber’s great painting by Monet.

It is also a fine sketch from nature in its own right. It would have been made on one of Isabey’s several trips to the Normandy village of Varengeville and the area during the 1850s and 1860s. The cliff-top church of St Valéry dates back to around 600 AD. The celebrated cubist artist Georges Braque (1882-1963) designed a stained glass window for the church and is buried in its graveyard.

Purchased 2011 (No.11.1.)