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    300 years
    "New Haven 2001" is linked to these Works
    of 4

    Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…

    Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
    Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
    Italian Sketchbook - Drawings pp…
    Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
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    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)
    Collection
    Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven. To license images click here
    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).

    Work of Art

    Drawings

    • Tivoli with the Temples of Vesta and the Sibyl and the Grand Cascade, National Museum Wales, Cardiff

    Paintings

    • The Temple of the Sibyl and the Campagna, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

    Exhibitions

    • New Haven, Yale Center for British Art, 17 May - 2 September 2001

    Biographies

    • Paul Mellon (1907-1999)
    • Oldfield Bowles (1739-1810)
    • Sir George Beaumont (1753-1827)

    Documents

    • Denys Sutton & Ann Clements, An Italian Sketchbook by Richard Wilson, RA: Drawings made by the Artist in Rome and its Environs in the Year 1754
    This drawing is part of the "Italian Sketchbook Drawings Yale Center for British Art 1754" sketchbook
    View sketchbook pages
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