Skip to content
Log inRegister
    HomePaintingsDrawingsPrintsBrowse all worksWilson collectionsWilson collections mapTercentenary exhibitionOther exhibitionsProject highlightsThemes and mediaBiographiesBibliographical Resources
    Advanced search
    Work of ArtBiographiesExhibitionsBibliographical Resources
    Settings
    Pages
    300 years
    "Solkin 1982" Is linked to these Works of Art
    of 176

    Pembroke Town and Castle

    Pembroke Town and Castle
    Pembroke Town and Castle
    Pembroke Town and Castle
    The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
    title=Credit line
    Larger imageShareFeedback
    Artist
    Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
    Title
    Pembroke Town and Castle
    Date
    c.1764-66 (undated)
    Medium
    Graphite on cream laid paper
    Dimensions
    Metric: 294 x 522 mm
    Imperial: 11 9/16 x 20 9/16 in.
    Collection
    The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. To license images click here.
    Accession Number
    P06223
    Wilson Online Reference
    D368
    Description
    The town of Pembroke is seen from the west, across a tidal inlet of the Cleddau estuary. On the right the ancient castle with its 13th-century round keep and jagged silhouette contrasts with the town itself, dominated by the tower of St Mary's Church, left centre. Two figures are seen in a boat on the water and a third works on a boat in the left foreground.
    Exhibited
    London, Cardiff and New Haven, 1982-83 (120)
    Provenance
    A. Molhens, London
    Signature/inscription
    Inscribed in Wilson's hand over areas of foliage to the left of the castle and elsewhere: Ivy
    Verso inscriptions
    [1] Lower right corner, pencil in old hand: Pembroke Castle / Acc No D 6223 / L N. Pem. 335 f
    [2] Lower left corner, pencil: C / 5992 / 3 /48
    Mount inscriptions
    [1] Lower centre on a fictive label, an old pencil inscription: Pembroke Castle
    [2] Lower right, pencil, in the same hand: Original
    Related Prints
    E29 James Mason after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle 1775, The British Museum and other impressions
    Related Paintings
    P154 Pembroke Town and Castle, National Museum Wales, Cardiff
    Critical commentary
    Clearly drawn on the spot. The precise linearity of the drawing style and the slight dissonance between the two halves of the composition suggest that it might have been executed with the aid of some optical device.
    Bibliography
    I.A. Williams, 'A Welsh Drawing by Richard Wilson', The National Library of Wales Journal, vol. 8, Summer 1953, pp. 74-76; Constable 1954, p. 143, fig. 14; Solkin 1982, pp. 227-28
    Condition/Conservation
    Framed dimensions: 440 x 670 mm. There are pinholes at the corners, some small damages and a repaired tear, lower left. The original lower right corner is missing. Despite the appearance of a vertical join in the middle the support is one sheet of paper.

    Work of Art

    Prints

    • James Mason (1710-1783) after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle, The British Museum
    • James Mason (1710-1783) after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven
    • James Mason (1710-1783) after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle, The British Museum
    • James Mason (1710-1783) after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle, The British Museum
    • James Mason (1710-1783) after Wilson, Pembroke Town and Castle, National Museum Wales, Cardiff

    Paintings

    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782), Pembroke Town and Castle, National Museum Wales, Cardiff

    Exhibitions

    • London, Tate Gallery, Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, and New Haven, Conn., Yale Center for British Art, 3 November 1982 - 19 June 1983

    Documents

    • David Solkin, Richard Wilson: The Landscape of Reaction
    • William George Constable, 'Richard Wilson: Some Pentimenti'
    © Richard Wilson OnlineCreditsCopyright & DisclaimerPrivacy