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| Artist | Attributed to Bassano, Leandro (Italian painter, 1557-1622) and studio |
| Title | The Element of Water |
| Alternative/previous titles | A Fishmarket at Dawn |
| Date earliest | possibly 1595 |
| Date latest | possibly 1605 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 106.6 x 143.7 cm |
| Description | This work probably belonged to a cycle of paintings (now lost) representing the four elements. The image alludes to the element of water: Neptune, the god of the sea, rides through the sky in a chariot at the top of the composition. The scene below provides further references to the element of water: fish lying on the fishmonger’s table, two women drinking water and the river leading the eye towards the horizon. The composition derives from two large paintings of the same subject by Jacopo and Francesco Bassano (Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Ringling Museum, Sarasota). |
| Subject | allegory (element of water) |
| Collection | National Trust for Scotland (Leith Hall) |
| Current accession number | 77l |
| Acquisition details | Given by Mrs Henrietta Leith-Hay 1945. |
| Provenance | Possibly purchased by Sir Andrew Leith Hay between about 1810 and 1862; by descent to Alexander Sebastian Leith-Hay, 1862-1897; Charles Edward Norman Leith-Hay, 1897-1939; with Henrietta Leith-Hay by 1939. |
| Principal exhibitions | The Age of Titian, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2004, cat. no.73. |
| Principal publications | Humfrey, P., The Age of Titian, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2004, p.196, ill. no.73. |
| Notes |
It is not known at what time the painting came to Leith Hall. It may have been acquired by Sir Andrew Leith Hay (1785-1862), a gifted amateur painter. |
| Rights status | National Trust for Scotland |
| Author | Dr Claudia Heide |
