Francis Towne

British · 1739–1816 · Painter, Draughtsman

Francis Towne was a British watercolour painter of landscapes that range from the English Lake District to Naples and Rome. After a long period of obscurity, his work has been… (Wikipedia)

Email alerts for new results and upcoming sales

Own a work by Francis Towne? Get a free auction estimate →

4auction results2015–2025years recorded100%sold (4)$3.7kSign up free to seemedian price

Record prices

Show prices also in

IN PEAMORE PARKLyon & Turnbull · Mar 2025£4,032≈ $5,226≈ €4,796Sign up to see
A VIEW NEAR HORNSEYLyon & Turnbull · Mar 2025£3,276≈ $4,246≈ €3,897Sign up to see
Lakeland LandscapeElstob & Elstob · May 2024£2,600≈ $3,245≈ €3,020Sign up to see

Francis Towne’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Francis Towne was a British watercolour painter of landscapes that range from the English Lake District to Naples and Rome. After a long period of obscurity, his work has been increasingly recognised from the early 20th century onwards.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born 1739, ExeterDied 1816, LondonOccupation Painter, DraughtsmanWikidata Q5482614 ↗ULAN 500006731 ↗Museum works 22

Also known as Francis Town, Old Francis Town, Old Town, Town, Towne

Works in museum collections

Open-access images (public domain, CC0 or CC BY) from museum collections, each shown with its credit line and licence.

Francis Towne, A View near the Arco Scuro, looking towards the Villa Medici, at Rome — **A View near the Arco Scuro, looking towards the Villa Medici, at Rome**1785 · Watercolor over graphite with pen and brown ink
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Acquis…

Francis Towne, Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon — **Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon**1773–80, with additions in 1805 · Watercolor and pen and ink on two joined sheets
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013 …

Francis Towne, An ivy covered ruin — **An ivy covered ruin**late 1780s–early 1790s · Watercolor with pen and brown ink with traces of graphite
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Roberta J. M. Olson and Alexander B. …

Francis Towne, Trees by the lake, Peamore Park, near Exeter, Devon — **Trees by the lake, Peamore Park, near Exeter, Devon**1790–1810 · Watercolor over traces of graphite; laid down on original mount
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Karen B. Cohen Fund, 2009 — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, View of Lake Como — **View of Lake Como**August 27, 1781 · Pen and brown ink and watercolor
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2016 — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, View of Lake Como with Monte Legnone — **View of Lake Como with Monte Legnone**August 27, 1781 · Pen and brown ink and watercolor
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2016 — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, A View of Vevey with La Tour de Peilz in the Distance — **A View of Vevey with La Tour de Peilz in the Distance**1781 · pen and black ink over graphite on laid paper
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of William B. O'Neal — Open Access …

Francis Towne, A Rocky Shore at Coombmartin, Devon (Combe Martin Bay) — **A Rocky Shore at Coombmartin, Devon (Combe Martin Bay)**1783 · pen and gray-brown ink and wash on laid paper
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Donald Stone — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, Hampstead Heath, Evening Light — **Hampstead Heath, Evening Light**1800 · pen and black ink with gray and blue-gray wash over graphite on laid paper
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Donald Stone — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, The Wrekin, Shropshire — **The Wrekin, Shropshire**c. 1777/1783 · gray wash over traces of graphite with pen and brown and gray ink on laid paper
National Gallery of Art, Washington ↗
CC0 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Donald Stone — Open Access (CC0)

Francis Towne, In het park van de Villa Mondragone in Frascati — **In het park van de Villa Mondragone in Frascati**1781
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam ↗
Public domain · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam — public domain

Francis Towne, Old Walton Bridge — **Old Walton Bridge**1785
Yale Center for British Art ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Yale Center for British Art

Francis Towne, Haldon Hall, near Exeter — **Haldon Hall, near Exeter**1780
Tate ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Tate

Francis Towne, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 9th Baronet of Columbjohn (1752-1794) with Staghounds on the Holnicote Estate from the South West — **Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 9th Baronet of Columbjohn (1752-1794) with Staghounds on the Holnicote Estate from the South West**1785
National Trust ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — National Trust

Francis Towne, View At The Head Of The Lake Of Windermere — **View At The Head Of The Lake Of Windermere**1786
Birmingham Museums Trust ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Birmingham Museums Trust

Francis Towne, View of Mountains near Aberddwla, Wales — **View of Mountains near Aberddwla, Wales**
Birmingham Museums Trust ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Birmingham Museums Trust

Francis Towne, View Of Ludlow Castle — **View Of Ludlow Castle**1777
Birmingham Museums Trust ↗
Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons (public domain) — Birmingham Museums Trust

Francis Towne, Tivoli, Showing Rome in the Distance — **Tivoli, Showing Rome in the Distance**c. 1781 · Pen and black ink and watercolor, with brush and black wash and touches of graphite, on ivory laid paper
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection — publi…

Francis Towne, Wooded Landscape — **Wooded Landscape**1774 · Pen and black ink, with brush and gray wash, on cream laid paper, laid down on cream laid card
Art Institute of Chicago ↗
CC0 · Art Institute of Chicago, The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection — publi…

Francis Towne, Waterfall between Chiavenna and Mount Splügen — **Waterfall between Chiavenna and Mount Splügen**1784 · watercolor with graphite, point of brushwork, and selective glazing
Cleveland Museum of Art ↗
CC0 · Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund — Open Access (CC0)

Artist record compiled from: Wikidata (CC0), Getty ULAN (ODC-By), National Gallery of Art open data (CC0), Art Institute of Chicago API (CC0), The Met Open Access (CC0). See data sources & attribution.

Record prices

Works in museum collections

Related artists — British, born 1714–1764