Style of Bernardo Bellotto, 'A Caprice Landscape with Ruins', 1740-1800
About the work
Overview
This is an imaginary scene – a caprice – inspired by buildings in Italian cities and the surrounding countryside. It shows ruins from the classical past alongside contemporary architecture. Dwarfed by a crumbling arched portico, a small group of figures – tourists and residents of the small town in the distance, perhaps – are captivated by the statue of a lion, a symbol of Venice. The church spires and bell towers of the small town pierce the hazy sky.
Views of imagined landscapes were popular during the eighteenth century. Canaletto and Guardi painted similar ones, but this work seems nearer to the style of Bellotto, who came from Venice and travelled extensively around the Italian peninsula, producing views of Rome, Florence and Verona. However, it is not of a high enough quality to be accepted as by this artist.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Caprice Landscape with Ruins
- Artist
- Style of Bernardo Bellotto
- Artist dates
- 1722 - 1780
- Date made
- 1740-1800
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 54 × 74.3 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Lt.Col. J.H. Ollney, 1837
- Inventory number
- NG135
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Michael Levey, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1956Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The Eighteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1956
-
1986Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
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.
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