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Untitled

Biagio Rebecca

1772

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism 18th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

Untitled is a 1772 by Biagio Rebecca, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Biagio Rebecca
When & what style?: 1772 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This drawing may look quiet now, but it was made for a big moment. An award. A print handed out when someone won a prize. It wasn’t just art—it was part of a system. The artist drew it to be turned into an engraving. Later, wealthy collectors saved it. William Esdaile kept it safe and marked it with his stamp. Look up Rebecca, Biagio if you want to see more prints by this ticket and diploma designer.

The story of this work

Overview

This drawing, likely a preparatory study for a print, may have been engraved as a diploma or award for a prize-giving organization such as the Society of Arts. The mount reflects the style of collector William Esdaile, whose mark it bears, and it later entered the collection of Charles Rogers. Rebecca, a decorative figure painter active in England, worked in the English Neoclassical style, and other drawings by him are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. He is also known to have designed printed materials like admission tickets.

Read the full account in the museum source.