The view is of Holt Bridge, spanning the River Dee, at the point where the river serves as a border between Wales and England. It was painted as a pair with The Valley of the Dee with Chester in the Distance, also in the National Gallery. They are landscapes painted in the spirit of the French neoclassical landscape painter, Claude, who depicted views of the countryside outside Rome, rather than accurate depictions of real views in Cheshire. The village of Holt can be seen on the left and the tower of Farndon church on the right, but the foreground and hills have been changed to make them appear more picturesque and dramatic.
A young man plays a flute, while a reclining woman shades her eyes and gazes up towards the sun; the youth beside her looks in the same direction. The head of another man appears behind them over the brow of the hill.
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Judy Egerton, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The British Paintings’, London 2000; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
Dating from the end of the eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century, this English frame is in the style of the ‘Carlo Maratta’ frame, named after the Roman artist Carlo Maratta (1625–1713). The frame is made from pinewood and is partially water- and oil-gilt. The back edge is decorated with an acanthus-leaf design and the outward-curving top is adorned with a ribbon-and-stick motif. The deep central hollow is embellished with acanthus leaves and shields. There is cabochon (egg-and-nest) motif near the sight edge.
This is one of a pair of frames that were crafted for two paintings by Richard Wilson.
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
