Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire 1770s

Paul Sandby made this watercolor painting entitled ‘Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire’ in eighteenth-century Britain. It offers us insight into the period's changing social attitudes toward history and landscape. Sandby was one of the leading topographical artists of his day, and his choice of subject matter reflects the growing interest in picturesque ruins and the romanticizing of the past. Here, the inclusion of grazing cattle domesticates the sublime ruin; the abbey becomes just another element in a pastoral scene. In this era of agricultural improvement, even a ruined Abbey could become a site of productivity. Consider the cultural context: the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. The ruins are a reminder of religious upheaval and shifting social structures. The role of historians lies in uncovering these layers of meaning, using documents and archives to shed light on the complex relationship between art, history, and society.