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    300 years
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    Circus of Caracalla

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    Circus of Caracalla
    Circus of Caracalla
    Circus of Caracalla
    Tate, London 2014
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    Artist
    Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
    Title
    Circus of Caracalla
    Date
    c.1752-56 (undated)
    Medium
    Black and white chalk and stump over graphite on grey laid paper, laid down on old card
    Dimensions
    Metric: 267 x 397 mm
    Imperial: 10 1/2 x 15 5/8 in.
    Collection
    Tate, London. To license image, click here.
    Accession Number
    T09296
    Wilson Online Reference
    D273
    Description
    View of an arena, framed by a massive stone arch, from which hang creepers. In the left foreground are two figures, one seated with a staff over his shoulder, and a dog. To the right of this group is a boulder and there is another at the right base of the arch. Beyond the arena are several buildings and trees. The view is towards the west on what is currently the edge of the Via Appia Pignatelli. To the left in the middle distance, stands the round tower of the mausoleum of Caecilia Metella - one of the most imposing classical remains on the Via Appia Antica. Martin Postle has noted that in actuality it is visible only when one stands before the arch.
    Exhibited
    Tercentenary 2014 (115)
    Provenance
    William Lock of Norbury; his sale, Sotheby's, London 3-7 May 1821; William Esdaile; E. Horsman Coles; A.P. Oppé; purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, 1996
    Signature/inscription
    Signed lower right corner on archway shadow, black chalk: RW [monogram, the R reversed]
    Inscribed in ink lower right corner: WE
    Collectors' marks
    [1] Ink, lower right corner: WE. (William Esdaile, Lugt 2617)
    Verso inscriptions
    The reverse is invisible because the card is stuck to the modern mount
    Mount inscriptions
    [1] Inscribed on secondary support in black ink, lower left corner: 100 x
    Subject
    The Circus of Caracalla was the 18th century name for what is now known as the Circus of Maxentius. It was part of a palace complex flanking the Via Appia Antica built by the Emperor Maxentius in 306-12 AD. .
    Related Prints
    E33 Edward Rooker after Wilson, Circus of Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven
    E33A Edward Rooker after Wilson, Circus of Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), The British Museum
    E33B Edward Rooker after Wilson, Circus of Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), Royal Academy of Arts, London
    Versions
    See 'Links' tab
    Critical commentary
    The scene is viewed against the setting sun, allowing the artist to capitalise on a sophisicated combination of light and long cast shadows so as to achieve a remarkable elegiac quality.
    Previous Cat/Ref Nos
    2501
    Bibliography
    Wilson and Europe 2014, p. 293
    Location featured in work
    The Circus of Caracalla, Rome
    Condition/Conservation
    Brown spotting overall

    Work of Art

    Prints

    • Edward Rooker (c.1712-1774) after Wilson, Circus of Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven
    • Edward Rooker (c.1712-1774) after Wilson, Circus at Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), The British Museum
    • Edward Rooker (c.1712-1774) after Wilson, Circus at Caracalla (from Twelve Original Views in Italy), Royal Academy of Arts, London

    Versions

    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Circus of Caracalla, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Circus of Caracalla, Rome, Private Collection, England

    Exhibitions

    • New Haven, Yale Center for British Art & Cardiff, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, 6 March - 29 October 2014

    Biographies

    • William Esdaile (1758-1837)
    • Adolf Paul Oppé (1878-1957)

    Documents

    • Martin Postle & Robin Simon, Richard Wilson and the Transformation of European Landscape Painting
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