The Thames near Marble Hill, Twickenham

The Thames near Marble Hill, Twickenham
The Thames near Marble Hill, Twickenham
The Thames near Marble Hill, Twickenham
Private Collection, England / Photograph by Christopher Chard
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
The Thames near Marble Hill, Twickenham
Date
c. 1762 (undated)
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Metric: 59 x 91 cm
Imperial: 23 1/4 x 35 13/16 in.
Collection
Private Collection, England
Accession Number
32
Wilson Online Reference
P89G
Description
The view is taken from the south side of the Thames near Petersham and shows the prospect upstream towards Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, with the pediment of Marble Hill House visible through the trees to the right. In the foreground a man is leaning against a tree with a swimmer seated next to him. To their left a laden barge is sailing downstream while two horses and a rider head in the opposite direction on the near bank. A man is sitting before a wall under trees in the left middle ground, and in the sky the afternoon sun breaks through fleecy clouds, which are reflected in the water.
Exhibited
SA 1762 (133 - a version); London, Royal Academy, 1882, Exhibition of the Works of the Old Masters (48 - Landscape, lent Rev. Sir A.H. Molesworth-St Aubyn); Plymouth 1970, Art Treasures from West Country Collections (32); Kenwood 1986, Finest Prospects: Three Historic Houses (45)
Provenance
Perhaps Lady (Elizabeth) St Aubyn (d.1796); Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Bart (1758-1839) by 1816; thence by descent
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Verso inscriptions
[1] Upper horizontal member of frame, inscribed: 16
Labels
Verso of stretcher, three exhibition labels:
[1] Centre of upper horizontal stretcher member: 'ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF THE OLD MASTERS, 1882 | Wilson | Landscape | Rev. Sr A.H. Molesworth St Aubyn | Clowance Camborne'
[2] Upper end of central vertical stretcher member: 'CITY OF PLYMOUTH | ART TREASURES FROM WEST COUNTRY COLLECTIONS | Richard Wilson | The Thames near Marble Hill | 32 | Col. Molesworth-St. Aubyn
[3] Below [2]: 'ENGLISH HERITAGE | THE IVEAGH BEQUEST KENWOOD | HAMPSTEAD LANE, LONDON NW3 7JR | Exhibition: FINEST PROSPECTS | Cat. no: 45 | Richard Wilson | The Thames near Marble Hill | Lt. Col. Sir Arscott Molesworth-St.Aubyn, | Bt.'
[4] Upper left corner of frame in red: 90
[5] Upper left corner of frame: [illegible] | Ante room
Subject
The Thames at Twickenham was a fashionable location, which had attracted painters from the 1720s. The region had come to acquire an elevated status by the third quarter of the 18th century from the presence and publications of Alexander Pope, who made Twickenham his home from 1719 until his death in 1744 and was much involved in the planning of the gardens at Marble Hill. As a Palladian villa, Marble Hill House could claim kinship with both the great Venetian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio (1508-80) and the architectural heritage of ancient Rome. Later Sir Joshua Reynolds was amongst those who lived in the area.
Related Prints
E72/31 Thomas Hastings after Wilson, On the Thames, The British Museum (1854,0708.88)
Versions
See 'Links' tab
Related Works by Other Artists
Peter Tillemans (c.1684-1734), View of the Thames at Twickenham, c.1720-25, Richmond upon Thames Borough Art Collection, Orleans House, London
Critical commentary
It is virtually certain that this is the painting referred to by Farington in his diary on 22 May 1816: 'Thence to Biggs where I saw a View of the Thames &c by Wilson belonging to Sir J. St. Aubyn [...] Calcott & Turner came there, - Turner much admired the Wilson.' The numerous versions confirm this as one of Wilson's most popular English subjects. P89G is one of four known to have been painted by Wilson himself. A further dozen or more copies dating from the 18th and 19th centuries have been identified.
Bibliography
Farington Diary, vol. 14, p. 4840 (22 May, 1816); WGC, pp. 187-88, under pl. 57a (version 1); J. Bryant, Finest Prospects, 1986, pp. 76-77
More Information
Marble Hill House was built for Henrietta Howard, mistress of King George II and was later occupied by Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress and morganatic wife of King George IV. In 1775 Robert Mylne built The Wick on Richmond Hill, overlooking the Thames, for Lady (Elizabeth) St Aubyn, widow of Sir John, 4th Bart (1726-1772).
Condition/Conservation
Kate Lowry has noted: Examined in frame, off the wall. The gilt compo frame is probably not contemporary with the painting. Frame is unglazed and not backed. Painting is held loosely in frame with nails and corks. Support: Original canvas is medium weight, simple weave linen. Relined with wax adhesive onto a similar weight linen canvas. According to the current owner relining was carried out in 1986 when the painting was borrowed for an English Heritage exhibition, Finest Prospects, at Kenwood House. Attachment to stretcher is by tacks through the lining turnover edges. Original turnovers could not be seen, but may have been removed at the time of first lining. The stretcher is not original and probably dates from relining although it still retains some older exhibition labels. The pine stretcher has four members, square mortice joints and provision for keying out. All keys are present. The stretcher and the lining are in good condition. The painting support is quite flat and tension is good. Ground: As the turnovers are not visible and the paint film quite opaque, it is difficult to assess the ground, however mature cracks in the sky suggest that it is grey in colour and it appears to be smooth. Paint Film: Oil medium. Paint applied opaquely with some slight impasto in the distant river landscape, foreground figures and tree foliage. Characteristic of Wilson is the range of green and brown tones used in the foliage, the distant landscape rendered with a few strong and expressive brushstrokes and the tiny figures on the other side of the river at the right of the composition. Generally in very good condition with just one small retouched damage in the sky to the left of the right hand tree foliage. This is visible in normal light. Under UV light no other damages are visible. The dark parallel brushstrokes in the right hand tree appear rather mechanical and may be by a later hand attempting to make the foliage look more substantial here. Surface Film: Overall coating of resin varnish dating from the cleaning treatment which took place in 1986. In good condition. The general condition of the painting is excellent. The paint film and ground are secure and the support is sound.
Updated by Compiler
2021-03-23 00:00:00