(1740 - 1813), painter; b. Southwark; apprenticed to Samuel Scott 1754 - 9; exh. SA 1762 - 5, 1767 - 80, 1783, 1790; exh. RA 1788 - 96 and 1807.
1765 - 6 [left England by Jul. 1765] Florence, Rome (Feb. 1766 - ), Naples, Venice
The itinerary Marlow followed on his tour of France and Italy is well documented by paintings and drawings, but none of these is dated. An unidentified obituary notice (of 14 January 1813) stated that he 'went on his travels to France and Italy in 1765 by the advice of the late Duchess of Northumberland', and a group of eight Italian paintings (Tivoli, Arriccia, and scenes in the Bay of Naples) at Alnwick Castle supports the assertion.1 A drawing of an English river scene (Sotheby's, 1 Apr. 1976) is inscribed 'William Marlow the Author of this Drawing was a Disciple of the ingenious Mr Samuel Scott (Painter of Sea Views, Ec.) and is now studying in Italy - July 8th 1765', and, according to Hayward, Marlow reached Rome in February 1766.2
According to the large collection of sketches and drawings Marlow made in Italy, as well as the numerous paintings and watercolours which he did after his return to England, it is evident that he visited Venice, Florence, Rome and the Campagna and Naples and environs (including Capri). From the sketches he made Marlow subsequently worked up pen and ink compositional drawings from which his patrons in England ordered versions in either oils or watercolours. Several of his more popular grand tour souvenir subjects are as a result known in numerous versions.
Marlow probably returned to England towards the end of 1766. He showed his first Italian subjects, four oils, at the SA in 1767 (the exhibition opened on 22 April 1767) and, since he does not appear to have painted in oil while he was abroad, he must have prepared these over the winter months. Thereafter he regularly showed Italian and French views, and it is evident that he was a major source of such works for English buyers.
1. Whitley mss. 2. Hayward List, 13, 28.
M.J.H. L.