Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…

Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp. 10(v) and 11(r) The Temples of Vesta and the Sibyl at Tivoli
Date
1754
Medium
Graphite with black chalk on medium, rough, blued white wove paper
Dimensions
Metric: 281 x 210 mm (each sheet)
Imperial: 11 1/16 x 8 1/4 in. (each sheet)
Accession Number
B1977.14.359 v10 & r11
Wilson Online Reference
D280/10
Description
The round Temple of Vesta at Tivoli and part of the Temple of the Sibyl behind it are seen at the top of a rocky precipice overlooking an arched bridge
Exhibited
New Haven 2001 (106)
Provenance
Oldfield Bowles; given to Sir George Beaumont, 1784; thence by descent until 1963, when sold to Paul Mellon through Colnaghi & Co.
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Subject
Tivoli is about 20 kilometres from Rome, on the lower slopes of the Sabine Hills. Its finest ruin, the so-called Temple of Vesta (also known confusingly as the Temple of the Tiburtine Sibyl), is a circular building dating from the 1st century BC. Situated dramatically above a precipice and cascade, it has been admired by artists since the 16th century because of its picturesque location and it became a famous attraction for Grand Tourists. Wilson visited the town on several occasions.
Related Drawings
D217 Tivoli with the Temples of Vesta and the Sibyl and the Grand Cascade, National Museum Wales, Cardiff
Related Paintings
P45 The Temple of the Sibyl and the Campagna, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
Related Works by Other Artists
[1] Francis Towne (1739-1816): Tivoli from below the Falls, with the Temple of Vesta, watercolour, 1781, The British Museum (Nn,3.6)
Critical commentary
This view is elaborated and extended to the left in the more finished D217 Tivoli with the Temples of Vesta and the Sibyl and the Grand Cascade, National Museum Wales, Cardiff. The viewpoint, however, does not relate directly to any known painting by Wilson though a number feature the temples from afar, e.g. P45 The Temple of the Sibyl and the Campagna, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.
Previous Cat/Ref Nos
Object ID: 6363
Bibliography
Sutton & Clements 1968
More Information
Only two sketchbooks by Wilson have survived - the present one (D280-D280/33) and D53-D53/81 Studies and Designs by R. Wilson done in Rome in the Year MDCCLII, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (E.3586-1922).