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Thomas Hearne

Thomas Hearne was one of the most admired and influential topographical artists working in
late 18th-century Britain. He was an unusually accomplished draughtsman, and his important engraved publication, The Antiquities of Great Britain, raised the standard of recording and representing antiquities to that of a fine art.

Hearne was also an innovator in the art of painting in watercolors, and a major influence on the next generation of British artists, including Turner. His finest watercolors superbly illustrate his ability to combine subtle tonal values, refined coloring and extraordinary attention to detail.