Looking from Marsh Barton -a view near Exeter

This watercolour view near Exeter was painted in 1796 by Devon-born artist and clergyman Reverend John Swete (1752-1821). It depicts a tranquil riverside scene with Exeter Cathedral just visible behind trees in the background. In the foreground, a simple rowing boat floats beside the river banks, with large trees framing the view. It was probably drawn from the perspective of Marsh Barton, located south of Exeter and north of Alphington. Titled, dated and signed to the top right corner.

John Swete was educated at Eton College and University College Oxford, before becoming a curate at Highweek, Newton Abbot in 1775. In 1781 he inherited an estate and plantation in Antigua, which included a number of enslaved people. This inherited wealth generated by the plantation allowed Swete to resign his curacy and embark on a series of tours to pursue his passion for sketching. In 1789 he set out on the first of his tours across Dartmoor into Devon. This was the start of his production of twenty volumes of journals containing 674 watercolour sketches produced up to 1802, which he called ‘Picturesque Sketches of Devon’. The journals documented the landscape of Devon and depicted diverse subjects including landscape gardening, industry and mining, and archaeology. His inherited wealth was also used to rebuild his childhood home, Oxton House, in Kenton, where he lived for 40 years.