Apollo and the Nymphs

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Apollo and the Nymphs
Apollo and the Nymphs
Apollo and the Nymphs
The Trustees of the British Museum
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Earlom (1743-1822) after Wilson
Title
Apollo and the Nymphs
Date
Published 10 April 1772
Medium
Mezzotint with etching
Dimensions
Metric: 464 x 558 mm
Imperial: 18 1/4 x 22in.
Accession Number
2006,U.402
Wilson Online Reference
E24B
Description
Apollo is seen playing his lyre on the banks of a river in a classical landscape with nymphs dancing in a ring and two children blowing bubbles. There is a temple and statue of a river god on the right right with hills in the background to the left and the sky infused with the rays of the rising sun.
Provenance
Acquired 2006
Signature/inscription
Scratched below the image with the artists' names and publication line: 'R. Sayer. Excudit publishd, April 10th. 1772'
Verso inscriptions
[1] Inscribed in pencil: '- 7/6 fine proof'
Subject
Based loosely on a passage from the Homeric Hymn to Apollo. The subject was popular with classical landscape painters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Apollo, god of the Sun, plays his lyre while the four Seasons (here described as nymphs) dance to the music.
Related Prints
E47 William Woollett and Benjamin Pouncy after Wilson, Apollo and the Seasons, The British Museum
E47A William Woollett and Benjamin Pouncy after Wilson, Apollo and the Seasons, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Versions
See 'Links' tab
Related Paintings
P164 Apollo and the Seasons, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
P164A Apollo and the Seasons, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Condition/Conservation
Scratched letter proof before title