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    River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin (Landscape with Bathers)

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    River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin (Landscape with Bathers)
    River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin (Landscape with Bathers)
    River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin (Landscape with Bathers)
    Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Leicestershire, UK / The Bridgeman Art Library
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    Artist
    Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
    Title
    River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin (Landscape with Bathers)
    Date
    Mid-1760s (undated)
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    Metric: 61 x 73.7 cm
    Imperial: 24 x 29 in.
    Collection
    Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Leicestershire, UK. To license images click here.
    Wilson Online Reference
    P116C
    Description
    Before a calm wide river dominated by a domed ancient ruin three bathers are embarking on or returning from a swim while a cow and sheep graze nearby. On the right bank the ruin, a tower and other buildings are set among woods on the cliffs. Beyond in the left distance are a hill-town and mountains. The sky and clouds are suffused with the golden rays of the sun.
    Provenance
    Purchased 1937 from C. Marshall Spink, London
    Versions
    See 'Links' tab
    Related Works by Other Artists
    J.M.W. Turner, watercolour (T.B. XXXIII-I, Tate, London)
    Critical commentary
    W.G. Constable noted that this painting is similar in design to the Tate version (P116B), but with sharper contrasts of light and shade. The size is also similar. He regarded it as 'probably by Wilson but of hasty replica quality' - a fair assessment.
    Bibliography
    WGC, p. 213, pl. 99b version 3
    Condition/Conservation
    Kate Lowry has noted: Simple weave medium weight linen canvas lined onto a similar weight unbleached linen with glue-paste adhesive. Original turnovers removed at time of lining but remains of pale beige ground beyond the paint layer visible at top edge suggest a commercially-prepared priming. Four-member oak stretcher dates from lining. Handmade tacks in original positions through lining turnover suggest the lining was carried out in late 19th century. Lining is in fair condition with slight detachment of original from lining and split in lining turnover at lower left corner. Flattening of impasto due to pressure applied in lining has increased the visibility of earlier pentimenti; these are at left edge above the tree which was first painted larger by the artist and then partly covered by sky, and some foliage in the right hand group of trees where the artist has added additional foliage and the texture of the sky shows through. Under UV light residue of old varnish is visible especially over the trees at the right and over foreground. The museum conservation record notes surface cleaning in 1986 with an enzyme solution. The lake appears to have been overpainted at an early stage in its history around the bathers' figures. There are minor retouches at the right edge and two small retouches in the upper left sky. The general impression in normal light is of a clean painting with no discoloured varnish layer.
    Updated by Compiler
    2021-09-01 00:00:00

    Work of Art

    Versions

    • Ascribed to Wilson, Classical Landscape with Boys Bathing, Leeds Museums and Galleries
    • Studio of Wilson, River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin, Tate, London
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
    • Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782) River Scene with Bathers, Cattle and Ruin, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California

    Documents

    • William George Constable, Richard Wilson
    © Richard Wilson OnlineCreditsCopyright & DisclaimerPrivacy