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    Studies & Designs: Vesuvius from the Royal Gardens, Naples

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    Studies & Designs: Vesuvius from the Royal Gardens, Naples
    Studies & Designs: Vesuvius from the Royal Gardens, Naples
    Studies & Designs: Vesuvius from the Royal Gardens, Naples
    The Trustees of the British Museum
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    Artist
    John Whessell (c.1760-1806) after Wilson
    Title
    Studies & Designs: Vesuvius from the Royal Gardens, Naples
    Date
    Published 1811
    Medium
    Soft-ground etching, with etching
    Dimensions
    Metric: 173 x 229 mm
    Imperial: 6 13/16 x 9 in.
    Collection
    The British Museum. To license image, click here
    Accession Number
    1863,1114.237
    Wilson Online Reference
    E60/25
    Description
    View of a smoking volcano, seen on the right with another mountain to the left beyond trees and smaller buildings in the foreground - all within an etched rectangular border
    Provenance
    Bought from Samuel & Sons, 1863
    Signature/inscription
    Lettered below the image 'Wilson del' 'From the King of Naples GARDEN' 'Whessell Sc'
    Subject
    The gardens are those of the royal palace of Portici just outside Naples, built from 1738 to 1742 for King Charles III of Naples and Sicily and his queen, Maria Amalia of Saxony. The gardens were later described as 'at the east on the slopes of Vesuvius: they are immense, little adorned, but with many trees that are always green, especially service and arbutus trees, which feed the thrushes that abound there.' (Corografia dell'Italia, 1834). The small buildings in the foreground may be part of the royal menagerie.
    Related Drawings
    D53/77Studies and Designs done in Rome in the Year 1752, p. 77, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
    Critical commentary
    From a set of small soft-ground etchings by Whessell at the British Museum ( E60/1- E60/44). These were made after Wilson's drawings in the sketchbook of the same title at the Victoria & Albert Museum (D53-D53/81). The present one is taken from p. 77 (D53/77). In 1811 the etchings were published by the Oxford-based publisher, Robert Archer in more than one format - this one with an introduction and list of subscribers.
    Bibliography
    G.B. Rampoldi, Corografia dell'Italia, 1834, vol. 3, p. 43
    Updated by Compiler
    2017-10-02 00:00:00

    Work of Art

    Drawings

    • Studies and Designs done in Rome in the Year 1752, p. 77, Victoria & Albert Museum, London

    Biographies

    • John Whessell (Active 1760-1799)
    • Robert Archer (1811)

    Documents

    • Robert Archer, Studies and Designs by Richard Wilson, done at Rome in the Year 1752
    This print is part of the "Studies & Designs British Museum" sketchbook
    View sketchbook pages
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