Temple Bar
A highly detailed and picturesque painting of Temple Bar. Sir Christopher Wren’s Temple Bar marked the historic gateway to the City of London for 200 years. Temple Bar stood in Fleet Street until a variety of factors dictated its removal. In its place, the Temple Bar Memorial, a tall pedestal surmounted by a dragon or “griffin” was erected in 1880 and still stands today in the middle of the roadway.
Rayner studied painting from the age of 15; at first with her father and later with established artist friends of the family including David Roberts (1796-1864), a well-known Scottish artist who specialised in architectural and topographical scenes. Her first exhibited work was an oil painting shown at the Royal Academy in 1852, but she soon changed to working almost exclusively in watercolour.
Rayner depicted cities and ruins as well as stately homes and their surroundings. Rayner lived in Chester from 1869. Her paintings from this period are very detailed and highly picturesque, capturing the ‘olde worlde’ character of Chester and other cities. She often filled her works with figures going about their daily tasks, including street sellers.
She was a gifted and prolific artist, exhibiting for over 50 years through organisations including the Society of Lady Artists, the Royal Academy, the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of British Artists.
