Skip to Content
Log InRegister
    HomePaintingsDrawingsPrintsBrowse All WorksWilson CollectionsWilson Collections MapTercentenary ExhibitionOther ExhibitionsProject HighlightsThemes and MediaBiographiesBibliographical Resources
    Advanced Search
    Work of ArtBiographiesExhibitionsBibliographical Resources
    Settings
    Pages
    300 years
    Return to "Ford, Captain" is linked to these Works 27 items
    of 27

    The Garden of the Villa Madama

    This item is active and ready to use
    The Garden of the Villa Madama
    The Garden of the Villa Madama
    The Garden of the Villa Madama
    National Museum Wales, Cardiff
    title=Credit line
    Larger ImageShareFeedback
    Artist
    Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
    Title
    The Garden of the Villa Madama
    Date
    Undated
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    Metric: 63.5 x 76.5 cm
    Imperial: 25 x 30 1/8 in.
    Collection
    National Museum Wales, Cardiff. To license image, click here.
    Accession Number
    NMW A 5193
    Wilson Online Reference
    P91D
    Description
    In a shady glade, a lane runs across the foreground and on the left a man and a woman greet a friar. A rustic building is at the centre, overhung by trees, while to the right on a gentle slope, a line of trees is silhouetted against the sunset sky.
    Exhibited
    Brighton 1920 (9 - The Hermitage)
    Provenance
    Benjamin Booth; the Revd R.S. Booth; Marianne Booth, Lady Ford; by descent to Captain Richard Ford; his sale Christie's 14 June 1929 (12 - The Hermitage); bt Agnew (440 guineas); Frederick John Nettlefold, Chelwood Vachery, Nutley, Sussex; presented by F.J. Nettlefold, 1946
    Signature/inscription
    Unsigned; no inscription
    Techniques and materials
    The double layer of white priming and the range of pigments are typical of Wilson's work, though the coarse canvas weave is a little unusual.
    Subject
    The Villa Madama was designed by Raphael for Cardinal Giuliano dei Medici (later Pope Clement VII) and took its name from having been occupied by Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Emperor Charles V, and Duchess of Parma, in the late 16th century. The location shown was probably called 'Il Teatro' as the tragicomedy Il Pastor Fido by G.B. Guarini was performed there in about 1590. From this the libretto of Handel's eponymous opera was derived (1712, revived 1734).
    Related Prints
    E14 William Byrne after Wilson A View in the Villa Madama, near Rome, called Il Teatro, 1765, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven & other impressions
    Versions
    See 'Links' tab
    Critical commentary
    Although technical analysis has provided no evidence to suggest that this is anything other than a work by Wilson himself the quality of the paintwork as discernible through the varnish and the lack of descriptive detail compared with other versions locate the painting as at best of replica status. However, Booth lists two pictures, one a sketch and one 'Finishd' (Booth Notes Doc. 9, p. 2, nos 42 & 43). The present work is likely to be the former; the other version is untraced. The composition was clearly one of Wilson's 'good breeders' as at least five authentic versions are known.
    Previous Cat/Ref Nos
    619
    Bibliography
    Booth Notes Doc. 5, p. 2; Booth Notes Doc. 8, p. 1; Booth Notes Doc. 9 (42); Fletcher 1908, pp. 96, 192; Grundy & Roe, vol. 4, pp. 154-55 - The Hermitage, repr. col.; WGC, p. 203
    Condition/Conservation
    There is no evidence from X-ray or infra-red imagery. However, a very thick layer of discoloured resin varnish currently obscures the paint surface. Kate Lowry has noted: Original canvas is loose, coarse, uneven weave, approx. 10 x 10 threads per sq. cm. The texture of the original canvas is fairly dominant throughout the painting especially through the mid-tones of the background. Original canvas turnovers have been removed at the time of lining. Lined onto a fine, close weave linen with glue-paste adhesive. Two old tears pre-date the lining. Pine stretcher dates from lining. Oil ground consists of two layers of white. Some red/brown underpaint in the foliage is visible through drying crackle. Fine mature crackle throughout. Some fine drying crackle in the foliage. The central area has been partially cleaned in the past and the discoloured varnish layer is considerably thicker around the edges of the painting and in the dark tones.

    Work of Art

    Prints

    • William Byrne (1743-1805) after Wilson, A View in the Villa Madama, near Rome, called II Teatro, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven
    • William Byrne (1743-1805) after Wilson, A view in the Villa Madama, near Rome, called Il Teatro: Pastor Fido & other dramas having been performed there, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
    • William Byrne (1743-1805) after Wilson, A view in the Villa Madama, near Rome, called Il Teatro: Pastor Fido & other Dramas having been perform'd there, The British Museum
    • William Byrne (1743-1805) after Wilson, A View in the Villa Madama near Rome called Il Teatro, Royal Academy of Arts
    • William Byrne (1743-1805) after Wilson, View in the Villa Madama, National Museum Wales, Cardiff

    Versions

    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Hermitage, Villa Madama, Petworth House, National Trust
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Hermitage, Villa Madama, Hagley Hall, Worcestershire
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Hermitage, Villa Madama, Private Collection, England
    • Wilsonand Studio, The Hermitage, Villa Madama, Private Collection, Wales
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) The Hermitage, Villa Madama, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg

    Exhibitions

    • Brighton, Fine Art Galleries, 28 February - 2 May 1920

    Biographies

    • Benjamin Booth (1732-1807)
    • Richard Ford (1796-1858)
    • The Revd Richard Salwey Booth (1762-1807)
    • Marianne Booth, Lady Ford (1767-1849)
    • Sir Francis Clare Ford (1828-1899)
    • Captain Richard Ford (1860-1940)
    • Frederick John Nettlefold (1867-1949)

    Documents

    • C. Reginald Grundy & F. Gordon Roe, A Catalogue of the Pictures and Drawings in the Collection of Frederick John Nettlefold
    • Benjamin Booth, Unpublished Notes, Document 5: List of Wilson's Works with Owners
    • Benjamin Booth, Unpublished Notes, Document 8: List of Wilson's Paintings and Works by Old Masters and other Artists in Booth's Collection
    • Benjamin Booth, Unpublished Notes, Document 9: List of Wilson's Landscapes with Sizes and former Owners
    © Richard Wilson OnlineCreditsCopyright & DisclaimerPrivacy