Lake Albano

1762

Richard Wilson

Associated Names
Richard Wilson

Artist, British, 1713/1714 - 1782

The painting shows a green landscape from an elevated point of view. At the bottom of the image, a small group of people is seen on a grassy green hill. In the closest group, there is a tall person with a dog and two children, while farther down the hill are two other small people. Behind the hill is a large, reflective body of water surrounded by trees and other hills on either side. Behind the water, the scene opens into flatlands and rolling hills under a vast blue sky with soft white clouds. There appears to be a small village far in the distance. The color palette is mostly comprised of earthy greens and warm yellows, while the sky and water are light blue.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 121.9 x 170.4 cm (48 x 67 1/16 in.)
    framed: 145.4 x 195.6 x 7 cm (57 1/4 x 77 x 2 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1983.1.44

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Possibly Walter Spencer-Stanhope [d. 1822], Horsforth and Cannon Hall, Barnsley, Yorkshire. Simon Spencer-Stanhope [b. 1924]. (Banks Hall, Barnsley, sale, Henry Spencer and Sons, 16 September 1965, no. 229, repro.); (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London); purchased June 1966 by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1983 to NGA.[1]
[1] Information from Thos. Agnew & Sons, supplied by Evelyn Joll.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1961

  • Pictures from North Country Houses, Cannon Hall, Barnsley, 1961, no. 35.

1986

  • Gifts to the Nation: Selected Acquisitions from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1986, unnumbered checklist

Bibliography

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 438, repro.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 334-336, color repro. 335.

2014

  • Spencer-Longhurst, Paul. Richard Wilson Online. 2014: P118, color repro. [http://www.richardwilsononline.ac.uk]

Inscriptions

lower center in reverse monogram: WR. 1762

Wikidata ID

Q20178207

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