John Robert Cozens
1752-1797
Rome from the Villa Mellini
ca. 1783
20 7/8 x 29 3/4 inches (531 x 757 mm)
Watercolor over graphite on wove paper.
2017.45
Thaw Collection.
Notes
Watermark: none visible through lining.
Most travelers arriving in Rome from the north first glimpsed the city from the promontory of Monte Mario, where Rome could be seen rising above the floodplain of the Tiber. Although Cozens accurately depicted a number of Roman monuments, such as St. Peter's and the Vatican Palace at the far right, this work is more a poetic evocation of the place than a descriptive view. The attenuated profiles of the trees on the left exaggerate the scale of the landscape, and the luminous sky and delicate profile of the Alban Hills in the distance envelop the city, conferring a dreamlike quality. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Most travelers arriving in Rome from the north first glimpsed the city from the promontory of Monte Mario, where Rome could be seen rising above the floodplain of the Tiber. Although Cozens accurately depicted a number of Roman monuments, such as St. Peter's and the Vatican Palace at the far right, this work is more a poetic evocation of the place than a descriptive view. The attenuated profiles of the trees on the left exaggerate the scale of the landscape, and the luminous sky and delicate profile of the Alban Hills in the distance envelop the city, conferring a dreamlike quality. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Inscriptions/Markings
Signed (?) in pen and black ink along lower edge, "Jn. Cozens" [abraded]. Inscribed on original mount, in pen and black ink, "JNO COZENS 1791/ Rome, from Near Villa Madama"; on verso, in pen and black ink at center of original mount, "Rome, from near the villa Madama"; in pen and brown ink at upper left, "Mr. Annesley's". Other illegible inscriptions in blue ink.
Associated names
Annesley, Mr., former owner.
Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.
Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.
Bibliography
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY, "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection", 2017. Exh. cat., no. 65, repr.
The Thaw Collection : Master Drawings and Oil Sketches : Acquisitions since 1994. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 2002, no. 15, repr.
The Thaw Collection : Master Drawings and Oil Sketches : Acquisitions since 1994. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 2002, no. 15, repr.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department