Tree Study IV

Tree Study IV
Tree Study IV
Tree Study IV
Tate, London 2014
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Tree Study IV
Date
c.1750-51 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk on laid white paper inlaid on a cream mount.Black chalk
Dimensions
Metric: 189 x 133 mm
Imperial: 7 7/16 x 5 3/16 in.
Accession Number
T09311
Wilson Online Reference
D13
Description
Close-up study from life of a gnarled and split tree, probably an oak
Provenance
Adolf Paul Oppé (1878-1957); his son, Denys Oppé; purchased by Tate as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Techniques and materials
The texture of the laid paper has been heightened by the chalk. Light pressure has been used to indicate the undulations of the trunk, while tone has been suggested by the application of darker vertical strokes in its centre.
Related Drawings
D10 Tree Study I, Tate, London (T09307)
D11 Tree Study II, Tate, London (T09310)
D14 Tree Study V , Tate London (T09309)
D12 Tree Study III, Tate, London (T09308)
D388 Tree Study The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth / Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru
Critical commentary
Part of a set of tree studies by Wilson in the Oppé Collection. Although undated this is likely to come from the beginning of Wilson's career as a serious landscapist and was probably made during his Italian years.
Condition/Conservation
Good condition but smudgy corners; a few iron gall marks verso