View of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius
By John Ruskin
1840
Accession number: 1937P382
Watercolour over pencil on paper.
Width: 302 mm
Height: 188 mm
Information
This work may be one of two drawings described by Cook and Wedderburn as 'Vesuvius (?)' ('Works of Ruskin, XXXVIII, Catalogue of Drawings,' p. 304). These drawings were exhibited at the Fine Art Society exhibition in 1907 and dated to 1840. However, Cook and Wedderburn recall that there was some doubt as to their attribution and Ruskin's cousin Joan Severn (nee Agnew) felt impelled to write to the 'Daily Telegraph' in their defence. On 18 March 1907 she wrote: 'these drawings were given to me by my cousin (John Ruskin) a good many years ago, and once here, when some friend said they were unlike his style, I took them to him ... for their history. He turned them over, dictating as he handed them to me, what I was to put on the back. On seeing these particular drawings he at once said, "That's me in 1840!" and got me to write these words at the back of each.' Unfortunately, this work is now held down at all four corners and it is impossible to see if they bear any inscription on the reverse.
- Presented by the Association of Friends of the Gallery, 1937.
- © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Makers
| Association | Artist | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | John Ruskin | - |
Inscriptions
| Type | Position(s) | Method | Date(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J R | ||||
| Signature | bottom left | Handwritten | - | Pencil. |
Exhibitions
| Catalogue No. | Venue | Date(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peintures et Aquarelles Anglaises 1700-1900 du Musée de Birmingham | |||
| 107 | Musée de Lyon | 1966-10-23 - 1966-11-20 | |
| English Artists in Italy | |||
| 94 | Victoria & Albert Museum, London | 1968 - 1968 | |
| John Ruskin: The Last Chapter | |||
| - | Ruskin Gallery, Sheffield | 1989-09-02 - 1989-12-22 | |
| Paesaggi di Artisti Britannici in Italia: Acquerelli del XVIII e XIX secolo della Collectione dei Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery | |||
| - | Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Villa Reale, Milan | 1999-05-20 - 1999-06-20 | |
Literature
| Author(s) | Date(s) | Publisher | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works of Ruskin, XXXVIII, Catalogue of Drawings | |||
| Alexander Wedderburn, E T Cook | 1912 | George Allen, London | p. 304, possibly no. 2093 or 2094 |
Associated places
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Naples, Italy | Depicted |
Related work & resources
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