The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 14, 2025

The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli

1859

William Callow

(British, 1812–1908)
England, 19th century
watercolor with gouache and graphite underdrawing
Sheet: 75.1 x 57.8 cm (29 9/16 x 22 3/4 in.)
Sundry Purchase Fund 2011.4
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

William Callow likely based the view seen in this drawing on sketches made during his first trip to Italy in 1840.

Description

A meticulously finished, grand-scale presentation watercolor, this drawing was exhibited in 1859 at the Society of Painters in Water Colours in London. The view was taken from a low vantage point, foregrounding closely observed, moss-covered rocks amid the frothy cascade. Jewel-like, the Temple of Vesta surmounts the imposing cliff, gleaming white against a crisp, blue sky. The majesty of the view is underscored by the presence of nearly imperceptible figures in the far distance hanging linens to dry along the temple wall.
  • ?-2009
    Peter and Olive Belton, Leicester
    2010
    (sale, Christie's, London, July 7, 2010, no. 408)
    2010-2011
    (Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
    2011-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • null
    Cundall, H.M., ed. William Callow, R.W.S., F.R.G.S.: An Autobiography. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1908. Mentioned: p. 154 archive.org
    Reynolds, Jan. William Callow, R.W.S. London: B.T. Batsford, 1980. Mentioned: p. 213
    Lemonedes, Heather. British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Referenced: pp.104-7, 144, no. 35; Reproduced: p. 105-7
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 162-163
  • British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
    London Society of Painters in Water-Colours. Royal Academy, London (1859).
  • {{cite web|title=The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli|url=false|author=William Callow|year=1859|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.4