Niobe
1750
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
About the artist
Artist
William Woollett
William Woollett (1735–1785) was a British artist, born in Maidstone.
See the richer artist page1750
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Niobe is a 1750 by William Woollett, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a dramatic landscape with a group of people gathered under a large, twisted tree. In the distance, a rocky cliff overlooks a river and distant hills. The sky is dark and stormy, while figures in the foreground appear to be mourning or resting. One person lies on the ground, and others sit nearby, looking upward. A winged figure floats above them, adding to the scene’s intensity. The artist used deep contrasts between light and shadow to create a moody, emotional effect. This style was common in prints of the time to heighten drama. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how this technique works.
The print depicts Niobe, a figure from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, after a composition by Richard Wilson. It is rendered on paper and references the narrative found on page 17 of the text.
Read the full account in the museum source.
William Woollett (1735–1785) was a British artist, born in Maidstone.
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