PE00294

The view is from east of Eaton Hall, near Eccleston, Cheshire. The river extends from the left foreground to the centre middle distance and is bordered on both sides by trees and bushes. At a bend in the middle distance, there is a cottage and in a field to the left, cows are grazing. A tree in the right foreground extends its branches nearly halfway across the picture and below it three figures are fishing. Distant hills are seen on the left and the sky is yellow-pink with the sunset. The direction seems to be downstream, towards the north-west, Chester and the hills of Wales.The setting may be partly imaginary, however, as the mood is one of evening, which the direction of the sun does not support.

R. Mortimer, Esq.; Sir John Neeld, 1st Bart (1805-1891) Grittleton House, near Chippenham, Wiltshire; Sir Algernon Neeld, 2nd Bart (1846-1900); Lt-Col. Sir Audley Dallas Neeld, 3rd Bart (1849-1941); Lionel W. Neeld; Christie's 9 June 1944 (34 - A View on the Tiber: Sunset), bt Koetser, 13 Duke Street, St James's, London, S.W.1; Sotheby Parke Bernet, London 30 April 1980 (217); bt by the National Library of Wales, 1980

The cows to the left are painted impressionistically and the figures are uncharacteristic for Wilson.

[1] Upper horizontal stretcher bar, left end, inverted, black ink: PE 294
[2] Upper left vertical turnover of lining canvas, pencil: 15 11 86

[1] Lower horizontal stretcher bar, left, old typed label: A View on the Tiber Sunset | by Richard Wilson. | Provenance: R. Mortimer, Esq. | Provenance: Sir Audley Nield. | Exhibited: Grosvenor Gallery 1889. - No. 19.
[2] Lower horizontal stretcher bar, right, inverted round label: 3361
[3] Lower horizontal stretcher bar, right: illegible torn oval label
[4] Frame verso lower left corner: old museum label giving title as 'View on the Tiber, Sunset'
[5] Frame verso lower left: old museum label for 'The Artist's Journey through North Wales' exhibition (undated)

 

E25 Thomas Morris after Wilson, The Banks of the River Dee near Eaton, Cheshire, The British Museum & other impressions
E71/1 John Young after Wilson, View on the River Dee, near Eaton Hall, The British Museum

P111 The Valley of the Dee with Chester in the Distance, The National Gallery, London

Of the numerous verions the composition of the present one is closest to that of P86B (The Courtauld Gallery, London), though it is much smaller and greatly inferior in execution.

WGC, p. 174, pl. 34a, type II (version 2)

 

Viewed out of the frame. Kate Lowry has noted: Relined with wax-resin adhesive onto cotton duck, loose-lined with a brown muslin. Stretched onto liner's stretcher. Original turnovers removed at time of lining. Ground not visible but a dark, almost black layer appears to underlie all of the paint surface. This is possibly previous paint or even perhaps a photographic layer. The crude pink underpainting of foliage against the sky at centre right and the unusual detail in the face of the main figure suggest strongly that this is a copy after Wilson.

02/04/2021