Loreto with the Basilica on the Left

Loreto with the Basilica on the Left
Loreto with the Basilica on the Left
Loreto with the Basilica on the Left
Private Collection, England / Photograph by John Hammond
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Loreto with the Basilica on the Left
Date
1751 (undated)
Medium
Red chalk
Dimensions
Metric: 185 x 241 mm
Imperial: 8 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.
Collection
Private Collection, England
Accession Number
RF70
Wilson Online Reference
D58
Description
On the far left is the Basilica or Chiesa della Casa Santa, built over the remains of the Holy House of the Virgin and an important pilgrimage site. The height of the town (127 metres or 417 feet above sea-level) is indicated by the artist's viewpoint from some distance north, towards the River Musone.
Exhibited
Exeter 1946 (19 - An Italian Town); London, Cardiff and New Haven, 1982-83 (19)
Provenance
William Lock of Norbury; his sale, Sotheby's, London 3-7 May 1821; Marianne Ford; thence by descent
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Techniques and materials
Red chalk was rarely used by Wilson for the drawings he made on the journey from Venice to Rome
Subject
Loreto is situated on the Adriatic coast of Italy 22 km southeast of Ancona. Since the 13th century it has been a major centre for pilgrims on account of the Holy House of the Virgin, believed to have been miraculously transported from Nazareth by angels in 1294. The basilica was built over its remains. Between 1750 and 1754, the richly decorated campanile designed by Vanvitelli was under construction.
Critical commentary
This is one of only a small number of the drawings executed in red chalk during the journey from Venice to Rome that Wilson made in the company of William Lock.
Bibliography
Walpole Society 1998-I, p. 70, RF 70; Solkin 1982, p. 156
Condition/Conservation
Badly spotted, especially in the upper section