Artwork
Study for Landscape, Destruction of Niobe's Children
Study for Landscape, Destruction of Niobe's Children is a paint painting by the Rococo painting artist Richard Wilson. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Study for Landscape, Destruction of Niobe's Children is a preparatory painting by Richard Wilson, characterized by thick, water-based body colour on laid paper mounted to card, featuring a dramatic, stormy landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a turbulent natural scene with jagged rocks, crashing waterfalls, and dark, dramatic clouds, contrasting with a serene distant building and calm water, emphasizing the awe-inspiring power of nature.
Technique & Style
Wilson employed loose, rough brushstrokes, particularly on rocky and watery elements, creating a raw, untamed texture suggestive of quick execution, possibly en plein air, blending Italian and Dutch landscape influences.
History & Provenance
Created in the 1750s, during Wilson's transition from portraiture to landscape painting, the study was later donated by Henry J. Pfungst to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1915.
Context
Reflecting Wilson's adaptation of European landscape traditions, this work catered to the tastes of Grand Tour travelers, who supported his shift towards landscapes as a founder of the Royal Academy.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Wilson (1 August 1714 – 15 May 1782) was a Welsh painter who specialised in landscape art and worked in Britain and Italy.
Study for 'Landscape, Destruction of Niobe's Children'
Classical Landscape
Storm
Wooded Cliffs along a Riverbank
Landscape with Ruins
The Big Tree
Paisaje con caminante
River Landscape with a Passing Storm
The Pass Between Dale and Dalsjed
Manzanares Valley
A Storm- Between Brixen and Bolzano, North Italy, Storm Effect