Richard Wilson, 1713/4–1782, British, active in Italy (1750–56)
Title:
Temple of Minerva Medica, Rome
Date:
1754
Materials & Techniques:
Black chalk and white chalk on moderately thick, rough, blue laid paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 11 5/16 x 16 9/16 inches (28.7 x 42.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.4654
Gallery Label:
The so-called Temple of Minerva Medica was one of the most famous and frequently reproduced monuments in eighteenth-century Rome. Situated close to the Porta Maggiore on agricultural land within the ancient Aurelian walls, the decagonal, domed structure was identified during the eighteenth century as a temple dedicated to Minerva the Doctor (it is more likely to have been a nymphaeum). Wilson’s sheet emphasizes the dome of the structure, which collapsed in 1828, with the facade and campanile of the church of Santa Bibiana beyond. Gallery label for Wilson in Wales (Yale Center for British Art, 2014-03-06 – 2014-6-1)
