The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Cader Idris, with the Mawddach River

Cader Idris, with the Mawddach River

c. 1774
(British, 1714–1782)
England, 18th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 105.5 x 120.5 x 7 cm (41 9/16 x 47 7/16 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 89.8 x 105.5 cm (35 3/8 x 41 9/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1989.52
Location: not on view

Description

In the distance the peak of Cader Idris is shown, while riders in the foreground descend toward the river Mawddach. Although almost all of Wilson's earlier pictures of Wales suggest some association with that country's heroic past, here the emphasis is on the pleasing beauty of the land. Another version of this picture is in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Richard Wilson was the first major British artist to specialize in landscape, a focus he pursued intently after a visit to Italy in 1750-6. The countryside around Rome, with its rich associations of ancient grandeur, inspired him to look at landscape as a source of poetry. Back in England his Italian landscapes, which appealed to his patrons (mostly English noblemen) were a great success. He then applied a similar approach to his English and Welsh scenes, treating them as vehicles for ideas and emotions.
  • Michael Grazebrook (sale: Christie's, London, 21 June, 1890, no. 131)
    F. Worsely-Taylor (1892, by descent to Miss Dorothea Worsley-Taylor, Christie's, London sale 15 March, 1978, no. 113)
    Leggatts for Private Collection
    (Agnews, London)
    Michael Grazebrook (sale: Christie's, London, 21 June, 1890, no. 131); F. Worsely-Taylor (1892, by descent to Miss Dorothea Worsley-Taylor, Christie's, London sale 15 March, 1978, no. 113); (Leggatts for Private Collection); (Agnews, London).
  • Robertson, Bruce. "Notable Acquisitions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 78, no. 3 (1991): 63-147. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 78 www.jstor.org
    Baetjer, Katharine, and Michael Rosenthal. Glorious Nature: British Landscape Painting, 1750-1850. New York, NY: Hudson Hills Press, 1993. Mentioned: p. 100; Reproduced: p. 101
    Chong, Alan. European & American Painting in the Cleveland Museum of Art: A Summary Catalogue. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1993. Reproduced: p. 260
    Wiles, Stephanie, "British Invasion", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 46 no. 04, April 2006 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 8-9 archive.org
    Kidson, Alex. Earlier British Paintings in the Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House. Liverpool, United Kingdom: Liverpool University Press, 2012. Reproduced: p. 271, fig. 112
  • CMA @ Oberlin (second rotation). Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (April 3-June 5, 2006).
    Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College (4/3/2006 - 6/5/2006): "CMA @ Oberlin (second rotation)"
    Denver, CO, The Denver Art Museum, December 11, 1993-February 6, 1994: "Gently, Rural, and Subline: English Landscape Paintings and Watercolors, 1750-1850," cat. #
    Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991).
    CMA, June 7-September 15, 1991: "Notable Acquisitions", CMA Bulletin, 78 (June, 1991), p. 78, repr, color.
  • {{cite web|title=Cader Idris, with the Mawddach River|url=false|author=Richard Wilson|year=c. 1774|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.52