The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2023

The Temple of Vesta and the Falls at Tivoli

1859

William Callow

(British, 1812–1908)

England, 19th century

Watercolor with gouache and graphite underdrawing

Support: Wove paper laid down on board

Sheet: 75.1 x 57.8 cm (29 9/16 x 22 3/4 in.)

Sundry Purchase Fund 2011.4

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

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.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Signed and dated, at lower left, in dark brown wash: William Callow / 1859

Inscription

inscribed on backing board (in a modern hand): No. 3 / Temple of Vesta / Tivoli

Provenance
?-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
Citations
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
Exhibition history

London Society of Painters in Water-Colours. Royal Academy, London (1859).

British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).

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