Richard Wilson

( Penegoes, 1714 - Llanferres, 1782)

Sphere of

Oil on canvas

cm. 128x170. Framed

This romantic and stormy landscape scene is of particular interest: it appears to be closely related to an engraving by William Woolett & John Brown published in 1766 and derived, as the caption indicates, from a painting by the great Welsh landscape artist Richard Wilson, which is still considered lost. The painting was exhibited by Wilson at the Society of Artists in 1765 and, like the engraving made from it the following year, depicted the tragic story of Celadon and Amelia, narrated by James Thomson in his four-part poem Seasons, published in 1730. In the engraving, the scene focuses on Celadon's despair as he stands before the lifeless body of his beloved Amelia, killed by lightning. In our painting, it seems that the literary inspiration has been eliminated to make way for the grandiose landscape, reminiscent of Dughet, Claude and Salvator Rosa.