# Bray Church Yard

**John Varley** (British, 1778–1842)  
1807  
watercolor and graphite  
Sheet: 24.9 x 36.9 cm (9 13/16 x 14 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1940.564. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1940.564).

## About this work

The inscription on the reverse of this drawing, "Bray Church Yard-1807," likely refers to St. Michael’s, the parish church in the village of Bray on the banks of the Thames in the county of Berkshire. The banks of the lower Thames Valley provided the subject matter for many of John Varley’s early watercolors. His pursuit of the picturesque led the artist to turn his back on London and its connotations of commerce and industry, focusing instead on the rural aspects of the scene.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

John Varley painted this in 1807, aged 29. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Watercolour.** Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.
- **Graphite.** Pencil. Graphite has been used for drawing since the 1500s; in 1795 Nicolas-Jacques Conté mixed it with clay, so its hardness could be graded.

### [John Varley](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/john-varley)

British, 1778–1842

## Facts

- Type: Drawing
- Culture: England, 19th century
- The artist was 29
- Real size: about 10 × 15 in (25 × 37 cm). The 11 × 14 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/542.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/542/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/bray-church-yard-cma-119729).