Llyn-y-Cau, Cader Idris
Signed, dated, and inscribed at lower left in pen and brown ink, Llyn Caye / Cader Idris — 1803 J. Cristall; inscribed at lower right [cut off], near the Sumit [sic] of / [cut off]
Purchased as a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Morgan
In 1803 Cristall traveled to Wales in the company of Cornelius Varley, whom he had met at the drawing academy of Dr. Monro. The tour marked an important point in Cristall's evolving artistic maturity, and the works he produced at that time are remarkably varied.
This view is of the volcanic lake Llyn-y-Cau near the top of Cader Idris Mountain in North Wales. The scene had been painted several times by Richard Wilson, whose renderings adhered to the fundamentals of the Grand Style. Cristall's drawing, on the other hand, recorded his impression made quickly at the site. In this sheet he brushed on a watercolor wash of great breadth and simplicity over a summary sketch in pencil.