Dartmouth - Richard Wilson - Online Catalogue Raisonné

Wilson Online Reference

Dartmouth

Name

William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, 1731-1801

Connection to Wilson

Patron

Biographical Details

William Legge matriculated at Trinity College Oxford in 1749. Having inherited his title as 2nd Earl of Dartmouth from his grandfather in December the following year he came to Italy to complete his education in classical culture and this led naturally to his becoming a patron of classical landscape painting. He arrived in Rome after August 1752 together with his stepbrother, Frederick, Lord North where, as was typical of the English Grand Tourists, he sat for his portrait by Pompeo Batoni (Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, (2007.34)). He was also painted by Anton Raphael Mengs (Roettgen 1999, cat. 217). He was introduced by his tutor to Thomas Brand, and by Thomas Hollis (P43) to Thomas Jenkins (D162), who in turn introduced him to the work of Wilson, one of whose best patrons he became. He returned to England by the end of May 1754. Wilson painted P56 Rome from the Villa Madama (Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven), P57 Rome: St Peter's and the Vatican from the Janiculum, (Tate, London) and several other Rome paintings for Dartmouth. He also produced 68 presentation drawings for him in 1754, of which 25 survive.
See further Clark & Bowron 1985, p. 267, cat. 195.

Patronage of Works

P56 Rome from the Villa Madama (Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven);
P57 Rome: St Peter's and the Vatican from the Janiculum, (Tate, London).
Surviving presentation drawings: D300, D302, D303, D305, D306, D307, D309, D310, D311, D312, D313, D314, D316, D317, D318, D319, D320, D322, D323 and six unlocated

Updated by Compiler

15/07/2019

Work of Art

Drawings

Paintings