Ponte Vigo, Chioggia

Ponte Vigo, Chioggia
Ponte Vigo, Chioggia
Ponte Vigo, Chioggia
Photograph Courtesy of Mallams
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Ponte Vigo, Chioggia
Date
1751 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
Metric: 152 x 202 mm
Imperial: 6 x 8 in.
Collection
Private Collection, UK
Wilson Online Reference
D22
Exhibited
London, Cardiff & New Haven, 1982-83 (16)
Provenance
William Lock of Norbury; his sale, Sotheby's, London 3-7 May 1821; Marianne Booth, Lady Ford or her son, Richard Ford (1796-1858); thence by descent; Mallams Cheltenham, 21 January 2021 (118), where acquired by present owner
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Labels
[1] On backboard of frame, modern handwritten label: PONTE VIGO AT CHIOGGIA
[2] On backboard of frame, printed and typed exhibition label: London, Cardiff and New Haven 1982-83 [Tate Gallery]
Subject
The town of Chioggia is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the Lagoon of Venice about 25 kilometres (16 miles) south of the city. Its political allegiance is indicated by the prominence of the Lion of St Mark on the bridge. The ornate Ponte di Vigo itself spans La Vena Canal - the equivalent of the Rialto Bridge in Venice. It was built in 1685.
Critical commentary
Wilson travelled from Venice to Rome with William Lock, in his carriage, in late 1751. Chioggia was the first major stopping-point on their journey. As noted by David Solkin, if Wilson was now beginning to focus on landscape, his interest in figures evident here suggests that portraiture still remained an important concern.
Bibliography
Ford 1951, pp. 51-52, pl. 3; Solkin 1982, p. 155