約瑟夫·懷特·德比，A.R.A.

William Hardman Esq., Manchester;

Probably by descent to Thomas Hardman, and likely to be the picture sold in his sale, Manchester, 19 October 1838, lot 22:

Mrs. V. Martin, by 1968;

By descent to Miss Viola Martin;

Sold posthumously ('The property of the late Miss Viola Martin'), London, Christie's, 23 November 1979, lot 83 (as a Classical Villa by the Seashore); 

Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 18 November 1988, lot 74;

With Richard L. Feigen & Co., New York.

On loan to Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Summer 1983;

Sudbury, Gainsborough's House, Wright in Italy: Joseph Wright of derby's Visit Abroad, 1773-5, 8 August - 20 September 1987, no. 35.

B. Nicholson, Joseph Wright of Derby, Painter of Light, 2 vols., New York and London 1968, vol. I, pp. 84 & 261, no. 294, vol. II, p. 187, pl. 294;

D. Fraser, Wright in Italy. Joseph Wright of Derby's visit abroad, 1773-5, exhibition catalogue, Sudbury 1987, p. 12, no. 35, reproduced p. 18.  

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Structural Condition The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a fixed wooden stretcher. This is providing an even and stable structural support. There is a foamcore backboard attached to the reverse. Paint Surface The paint surface has a relatively even varnish layer. There is a pattern of very fine lines of craquelure most notably within the pale pigments of the sky. There is a very small loss within the brown pigments in the lower left of the composition approximately 3 cm from the lower horizontal framing edge and 17.5 cm from the left vertical framing edge, and there are some further very tiny surface scratches in the lower left. There is some very slight frame abrasion visible on the lower part of the left edge. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a discoloured varnish layer. Inspection under ultraviolet light also shows small, scattered, carefully applied retouchings, including: 1) a horizontal retouching in the centre of the composition approximately 10 cm in length, which is approximately 27 cm from the lower horizontal framing edge and 41 cm from the left vertical framing edge, 2) an L-shaped retouching measuring approximately 3.5 x 5 cm which is approximately 12 cm from the lower horizontal framing edge and 12 cm from the right vertical framing edge, 3) small scattered areas of spots and lines within the foreground and trees, 4) very small spots and lines within the sky and around the mountain in the upper left of the composition, and 5) an intermittent horizontal line just below the upper framing edge. Other scattered retouchings are also visible. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This exceptional landscape depicts a view of the old town of San Felice Circeo, with Mount Circeo beyond, at the northern end of the Gulf of Gaeta. Joseph Wright of Derby spent nearly two years travelling in Italy, for much of which he was based nearby in Rome, from where he would make sorties out into the neighbouring countryside to sketch the dramatic Italian scenery and absorb the Mediterranean light that so inspired him. This painting, which is preserved in exquisite condition, captures both of these better than almost any other and infuses them with Wright’s great love of the decaying remains of ancient buildings and the lure of classical antiquity.

Having left England in November 1773, Wright arrived in Rome in February 1774 and remained there until September that year. In October and November he visited Naples, exploring Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the wonders of the Amalfi coast, but was back in Rome by the end of the year, staying until June 1775. The Eternal City and the surrounding countryside were a revelation to the artist and he was overwhelmed by the antiquities of the city itself. Writing to his brother in May 1774 he enthused about ‘the amazing and stupendous remains of antiquity’ and all the ‘fine things this country [Italy] abounds with... the artist finds here whatever may facilitate and improve his studies’.¹ Hitherto landscape had played only a very small part in Wright’s art but in Italy, with the warmth and serenity of the south upon him, his attitude to landscape changed dramatically. As Nicholson poetically put it ‘Alexander Cozens replaces Rosa in his heart’ and he becomes captivated by ‘Roman ruins with picturesque shrubbery growing like tufts of unkempt hair out of their decaying arches’.² He sketched heavily, making more drawings during his time in Italy than he had ever done before, and on his return to England seized every opportunity he had to paint landscapes; writing to a friend in 1792 'I know not how it is, tho' I am engaged in portraits... I find myself continually stealing off, and getting to Landscapes'. This picture, which dates to circa 1790, is a masterpiece of the artist’s late maturity. By this time Wright’s landscapes had moved on from the clearly delineated drama of his earlier romantic scenes to a more meditative approach, where form almost dissolves into light. It is peculiarly satisfying in its dreamy evanescence and whilst one never doubts that the architecture is structurally sound, it does indeed appear to melt – ‘for within the structure the light tries out its charm on the villa’s walls, and the walls succumb’.³

According to Nicholson a nineteenth century manuscript in the collection of Mrs V. Martin, who owned the picture at the time that he published his 1968 catalogue, stated that this painting came from the W. Hardman Collection. On the basis of this he thought ‘it would be surprising if it did not turn out to be the picture in the Thomas Hardman sale’ (see provenance), which was catalogued in 1838 as ‘An Italian Scene, of great picturesque beauty, enriched with Classical Italian Buildings, and coloured with all the freshness of nature, under the warmth of an Italian Sky’.⁴ That it certainly is, but having lost its identity when passing thought the sale rooms in the nineteenth century the picture was catalogued by Nicholson simply, and surprisingly unromantically, as Classical Villa by Sea Shore.  The topography of the coastline however, particularly the mountainous headland in the distance, identifies it as the ancient town of San Felice Circeo, at the northern extreme of the Gulf of Gaeta. Known to the Romans as Circeii, the area has been occupied since ancient times, with some sources suggesting that a settlement was founded there as early as the reign of Tarquinius Superbus, the legendary seventh and last King of Rome who ruled from 535 to 509 BC. It is today, as it was in ancient times, a popular area with Romans as a holiday destination. The same view was also used by Wright for a small oval painted in 1782, the pair to a view of Lake Nemi (Private Collection, U.K.),⁵ and though no known drawing survives Wright must have made sketches of the site  during his time in Italy for later use back in England.

1. J. Ingamells, A Dictionary of British and Irish Travellers in Italy 1701-1800, New Haven and London 1997, pp. 1023-4.
2. Nicholson, p. 75.
3. Nicolson, p. 84
4. Nicholson, p. 261.
5. Nicholson, nos. 254 & 255.