The Great Bridge over the Taaffe in South Wales

The Great Bridge over the Taaffe in South Wales
The Great Bridge over the Taaffe in South Wales
The Great Bridge over the Taaffe in South Wales
The Trustees of the British Museum
title=Credit line
Artist
Pierre Charles Canot (c.1710-1777) after Wilson
Title
The Great Bridge over the Taaffe in South Wales
Date
1775
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Metric: 411 x 545 mm
Imperial: 16 3/16 x 21 1/2 in.
Accession Number
1872,0511.393
Wilson Online Reference
E28B
Description
A steep single-arched bridge spans a river which divides around a low island in the foreground. From there several figures turn to admire the view of rolling tree-covered hills beneath a large expanse of sky.
Exhibited
SA 1766 (234 - an impression); London, Cardiff and New Haven, 1982-83 (121); Conwy 2009 (30 - an impression)
Provenance
1872 purchased from George Love, 81 Bunhill Row, Finsbury, London as part of a group of 428 prints
Signature/inscription
Lettered below the image with the title in English and French and 'Richard Wilson Pinxt,, / P.C. Canot Sculpt'
Subject
William Edwards's bridge over the River Taff or Teify at Pontypridd was completed after four attempts in 1756 and measured 140 feet (43 metres) in span. It quickly became renowned and for over 40 years it was the largest single span bridge in Britain.
Versions
See 'Links' tab
Other impressions are at The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth / Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru (PG00881, 004609364 and 4488829) and the Royal Pavilion, Brighton
Related Works by Other Artists
John Clerk of Eldin, Pont Y Pridd, etching and drypoint (5 states, 1776)
Critical commentary
This print is one of the set, Six Views in North and South Wales, all after Wilson, published by John Boydell in 1775.
Bibliography
R. Gough, Anecdotes of British Topography, London 1768, p. 593; Edwards 1808, p. 88; Inventaire du Fonds Français: Bibliothèque Nationale, Département des Estampes, Graveurs du XVIIe siècle, vol. 3, Paris 1930, no. 95; WGC p. 187, pl. 56b; Solkin 1982, pp. 228-29
More Information
An impression belonged to William Lock of Norbury and featured in his sale, Sotheby's London 3-7 May 1821 (619).
Condition/Conservation
State before publication line
Updated by Compiler
2017-06-22 00:00:00