The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini

The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini
The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini
The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini
Tate, London 2014
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini
Date
1751 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk and graphite on white laid paper
Dimensions
Metric: 180 x 263 mm
Imperial: 7 1/16 x 10 3/8 in.
Accession Number
T09277
Wilson Online Reference
D41
Exhibited
Tercentenary 2014 (46)
Provenance
William Lock of Norbury; his sale, Sotheby's, London 3-7 May 1821; Marianne Ford; thence by descent to Captain Richard Ford; his sale, Christie's, 17 June 1929 (12 - A Study of a Bridge) bought with three others in two mounts by Parsons (£27.6s.); A.P. Oppé; purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Subject
The Ponte d'Augusto, built by the Emperor Augustus, leads out of Rimini near the triumphal arch, also dedicated to him, across the River Marecchia, to the ancient Via Emilia, linking Rimini and Bologna. (Cf. D43 The Arch of Augustus at Rimini, Private Collection, England).
Related Drawings
D43 The Arch of Augustus at Rimini, Private Collection, England
D46 The Bridge of Augustus at Rimini, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Related Prints
E38 Joseph Farington, Twelve Etchings of Views in Italy - Bridge of Augustus at Rimini, 1776, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven and other impressions
Related Paintings
P82 Private Collection, Yorkshire
P82C Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
P82A Dunedin Art Gallery, New Zealand
Critical commentary
This is one of a series of drawings made by Wilson during his journey from Venice to Rome during the winter of 1751 in the company of William Lock and Thomas Jenkins. Another drawing of the bridge showing two arches is in a private collection, England (see 'Related Drawings'). Lock acquired both drawings from the artist. Wilson painted several versions of the view himself and it was repeated by others.
Bibliography
Ford 1951, pp. 34, 52, pl. 7; Wilson and Europe, p. 239