Valerie Thornton Etching “Ely Cathedral” (1979) (Auction 2026-06-05, Lot 23A)

$160.63

Valerie Thornton (British, 1931-1991). “Ely Cathedral” etching with aquatint on paper, 1979. Edition 17 of 50. Hand-signed, dated, titled, and numbered beneath image. A striking architectural etching with aquatint by Valerie Thornton, depicting the soaring Gothic arcades of Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England. Executed in 1979, this work captures Thornton’s hallmark sensitivity to architectural form, texture, and atmosphere. The view emphasizes the rhythmic sweep of clustered columns and pointed arches, their monumental stonework rendered with dramatic chiaroscuro. A fragment of stained glass glows faintly above, contrasting with the shadowed masonry below. Thornton’s etchings often dwell on the layered histories embedded in Romanesque and Gothic buildings, exploring both their physical presence and their symbolic weight. Size of etching: 13″ W x 21″ H (33 cm x 53.3 cm); of frame: 24.75″ W x 32.75″ H (62.9 cm x 83.2 cm)

Here, Ely Cathedral – the “Ship of the Fens,” begun in the 11th century – becomes not only a study in structure but also a meditation on endurance and memory. The aquatint technique enriches the depth of tone, lending the composition a quiet, reverent atmosphere.

About the artist: A British printmaker celebrated for her architectural etchings, Valerie Thornton (1931-1991) was born in London and evacuated to Montreal during the Second World War before returning to study at the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting and later Regent Street Polytechnic. Inspired by English romantics like Stanley Spencer and Graham Sutherland, as well as the groundbreaking printmaking at Atelier 17 in Paris, she developed a lifelong passion for etching. Thornton became a founder member of the Printmakers’ Council in 1965 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers the following decade.

Her work, which often captured the textures of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, is represented in major public collections including the British Museum, Tate, Fitzwilliam Museum, Ashmolean, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. Throughout her career she exhibited widely in Britain and abroad, with retrospectives at the Redfern Gallery and the Ashmolean Museum. Thornton lived and worked in Suffolk until her death in 1991.

Provenance: private Arvada, Colorado, USA collection

Condition: Excellent. Mounted behind glass in a custom matte and frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Has not been examined outside of glass, but etching and frame appear to be in excellent overall condition. Hand-signed, dated, titled, and numbered beneath image.