Temple of Venus with Part of the Bay of Baiae

Temple of Venus with Part of the Bay of Baiae
Temple of Venus with Part of the Bay of Baiae
Temple of Venus with Part of the Bay of Baiae
The Trustees of the British Museum
title=Credit line
Artist
Thomas Hastings after Wilson
Title
Temple of Venus with Part of the Bay of Baiae
Date
Published August 1821
Medium
Etching on chine collé
Dimensions
Metric: 183 x 234 mm
Imperial: 7 1/4 x 9 1/4 in.
Accession Number
1854,0708.71
Wilson Online Reference
E72/14
Description
Landscape with reclining and standing figures in the foreground at the left on the shore of the Bay of Baiæ. Two arches of a bridge and the remains of the Temple of Venus are seen behind.
Provenance
Bought from George Willis, Piazza, Covent Garden, 1854
Signature/inscription
Lettered below the image with the title and 'The Original is in the Possession of T. Hastings Esqr.'; production details and publication line: 'Painted by R. Wilson' ' Etched by T. Hastings. | and published Augt. 1821. in London'
Related Drawings
D271 Bay of Baiae - Temple of Venus, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (DYCE.647)
Related Prints
E64 William Sherlock after Wilson, River, Sea-Coast and circular Ruin ('Morning'), The British Museum (1873,0809.1415) and other impressions
E73 Samuel Reynolds after Wilson, Morning, The British Museum (1879,0614.334) and other impressions
Related Paintings
P92 An Italian Landscape (Morning) Classical Landscape, Private Collection, England and other versions
Critical commentary
From a series of forty etchings after paintings by Richard Wilson and additional title page, bound in a volume in red tooled leather with gold decorative border, lettered on the spine with 'Wilson's | Etchings | by | Hastings'; the title page lettered in black and red: 'Etchings, | from the Works | of | [ facsimile of signature below portrait] Ric. Wilson | with Some Memoirs of his Life, &c. | by Thomas Hastings, Esq. | Collector of His Majesty's Customs. | "Non Ductus Officio Sed Amore Operis." Quintillian. | Published by Hurst, Robinson & Co. Cheapside, London. | Johnson, Typ. Apollo Press, 1825. Brook Street, Holborn'; containing twenty pages of Introductory and Concluding Remarks by the etcher, including descriptions of Richard Wilson's original paintings. In this case Hastings described how he first discovered the 'excellent [original but currently unlocated] Painting of R. Wilson.-- It was dragged from its old hiding place, in a miserable shop in the neighbourhood of the Seven Dials, near St. Giles's; covered with dirt, so thick, that I could hardly decide whether it was a Landscape or not. A very little trouble soon undeceived me, and I was very happy to conclude for the purchase of it, and to take it away under my arm, for better or worse.'
Previous Cat/Ref Nos
PPA324372
Bibliography
Hastings 1825, pp. 14-15, repr.; WGC, p. 196, pl. 74a; Yule 2015, pp. 60 & 69
More Information
George Willis was an antiquarian book dealer, who occasionally published books and prints. His firm was active from 1832-1856 and sold many prints to the British Museum. In 1856 it merged with Thomas Sotheran to become Willis & Sotheran.
Updated by Compiler
2024-01-15 00:00:00