Ruined Temple of Minerva, Two Figures on River Bank

Ruined Temple of Minerva, Two Figures on River Bank
Ruined Temple of Minerva, Two Figures on River Bank
Ruined Temple of Minerva, Two Figures on River Bank
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Ruined Temple of Minerva, Two Figures on River Bank
Date
c.1754 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk and graphite on medium, slightly-textured, blued-white wove paper
Dimensions
Metric: 132 x 185 mm
Imperial: 5 3/16 x 7 5/16 in.
Accession Number
B1977.14.5626
Wilson Online Reference
D246
Description
A seated and a standing figure are seen under trees at the right, near ruins which may be those of the so-called Temple of Minerva 'the physician', located next to the Porta Maggiore in Rome
Provenance
Iolo Williams; acquired 1977
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Subject
The so-called Temple of Minerva 'the physician' was a popular subject for painters and had been featured at length in the fourth volume of Andrea Palladio's influential I quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books of Architecture) (originally publishe, 1570; first complete English edition published in London by Giacomo Leoni, 1716-1720). One of the most famous and frequently reproduced monuments in 18th century Rome, it had actually been a nymphaeum, or hall for ceremonial receptions, built for the Emperor P. Licinius Gallienus (235-268 AD). Today the building faces the Via Giolitti, between the Via Labicana and the Aurelian Walls. Its distinctive decagonal dome collapsed in 1828.
Previous Cat/Ref Nos
Object ID: 15003