Lot 1526
ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN SYER (1815-1885)
THE AVON GORGE AT BRISTOL, LOOKING TOWARDS THE CLIFTON BRIDGE AND HOTWELLS
Oil on canvas
53 x 76cm.
* This subject predates the completion of the bridge in 1864 and was probably painted in the 1850s. The original constructors went bankrupt in 1837 after the building of the towers and an anxious funding crisis had forced a halt in construction in the 1840's. Nonetheless, for those with a head for heights and a strong wish to cross the gap, a basket slung from a 32mm cable (originally installed for the swift transfer of materials) enabled individuals to be shuttled across the gorge in the basket clearly visible in this scene. The pleasure steamer in the foreground is the Avon. During the 1850's, Syer lived at four addresses in the city in Redland, Clifton and Cotham.
