Charles Towne was the son of the painter Francis Town (also known as Isaac ben Benjamin Thun; 1738–1826). He was known for his portrayals of English country life in the first decades of the nineteenth century. His depictions of landscapes and animals have affinities with the Norwich School; prominent among these works are Towne’s The Boat Builders, Norwich (1811) and Cattle Fair (1826), which portrays the market- place in Norwich. Beginning in 1806, Towne exhibited his works at the Royal Academy of Arts and the British Institution.
The top register of this plaque from Hazor depicts a crouching winged sphinx wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The lower register shows two stylized three-tiered palmettes. The…
I lived, but as for living I was shiftless in my life,
knew always I’d be buried here when all was done,
that year layers itself upon year, clod on clod, stone on stone,
that in the chill and wormy…