John Sell Cotman: A Master of the Norwich School Born in Norwich, England, on May 16th, 1782, John Sell Cotman’s life was inextricably linked to the artistic spirit of his hometown and the burgeoning landscape movement that swept across Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The son of a silk merchant and lace dealer, Edmund Cotman, young John initially seemed destined for a business career, but an innate passion for art quickly steered him towards a different path. His education at Norwich Grammar School provided a foundation, yet it was his youthful explorations of the surr…