Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris

Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris
Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris
Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris
The Trustees of the British Museum
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris
Date
c.1757-58 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk, touched with white on blue paper
Dimensions
Metric: 294 x 458 mm
Imperial: 11 9/16 x 18 1/16 in.
Accession Number
1881,0212.6
Wilson Online Reference
D343
Description
A river winds into the foreground and in the mid-distance, there is a ruined tower above the water, built on a projecting cliff. Buildings and trees can be seen to the right of it on an adjoining hill. Beyond is a mountain and in the foreground, trees to the left and right.
Exhibited
Nottingham Castle Museum, Art Festival Exhibition, May-July 1988, (no cat.); Llanberis 1990 (S1)
Provenance
Donated by John Deffett Francis, 1881
Signature/inscription
Unsigned, no inscription
Subject
Dolbadarn Castle was built by Llywelyn Fawr in the early 13th century. It was an important stronghold of the princes of Gwynedd and commanded the route from Caernarvon to the upper valley of the Conwy.
Related Prints
E78/2 Havell after Wilson, The Ruined Fortress, engraving for the Cabinet Gallery
Related Paintings
P120 Dolbadarn Castle and Llyn Peris, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and other versions
P127The Lake of Nemi or Speculum Dianae, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
Related Works by Other Artists
[1] Gaspard Dughet, Ideal Landscape , c.1658-60, Glasgow Museums
[2] Paul Sandby, Llyn Peris and Dolbadarn Castle, watercolour, 1764, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
[3] George Barret Sr, Llanberis Lake and Dolbadarn Castle in the Mountains of Wales, 1777, Nottingham Castle Art Gallery and Museum, Nottingham
[4] J.M.W. Turner, Dolbadarn Castle, RA 1800, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Critical commentary
Notwithstanding an old title On the Tiber the location is Dolbardarn Castle, with Snowdon beyond, as confirmed by a comparison with P120. This drawing may be a study connected with the engraving by F.J. Havell for 'The Cabinet Gallery' under the title of The Ruined Fortress. Binyon incorrectly stated that the scene was the same as that represented in the landscape by Nicolas Poussin in the Berlin Gallery, No.478a, said to be 'on the Tiber near Acqua Acetosa.'
Bibliography
Pennant 1784, p. 157; Binyon 2; WGC, p.176, pl. 37c
Link to WG Constable Archive Record
Condition/Conservation
Some rubbing, foxing and staining