Pembrokeshire.- Norris (Charles, 1779-1858) The Stack Rock, Pembrokeshire, or Pen-y-Holt Stack, pen and brown ink, blue wash, on wove paper, mounted onto Whatman laid paper watermarked with date '1816', double ruled brown ink border, with inscribed title and 'by C. Norris Esq. Tenby -' in lower margin of mount, possibly by the artist, 118 x 174 mm. (4 5/8 x 6 7/8 in), minor surface dirt, [circa 1805-1820].

⁂ A fine original work by the topographical etcher and artist, Charles Norris. Norris studied at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he matriculated on 26th October 1797. In 1800, he moved to Milford in Wales, and by 1810 had moved further down the coast to Tenby. It was here that he began to work on his ambitious work entitled 'The Architectural Antiquities of Wales'. In 1812 he also published 'Etchings of Tenby', which contained forty engravings both drawn and etched by the artist himself. It is possible that the present watercolour was executed as part of one of these publications.

On 22nd December 1810 Joseph Farington recorded in his diary that a Miss Byrne: "spoke of a Young Man, Mr. Norris, who resides at Tenby in South Wales. He has devoted much time to making sketches from nature particularly the remains of Abbeys, Castles, &c. She said His outlines are very neatly executed, but that He has no knowledge of light & shade." [Farington, Diary, 10.3830]