Circle of Jacob Philipp Hackert (German, 1737-1807)

A View in the Roman Campagna at Tivoli, with figures and animals beside a river, beneath the temple of Vesta
inscribed on the stretcher ‘Painted by G. Hezier’
oil on canvas
103.5 x 135cm

Provenance:
Presumed to have been acquired by Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol (1730-1803) whilst in Italy.
Thence by family descent at Ickworth House, Suffolk (inv. no. 35) until
Sotheby’s Sale on the premises, 11th June 1996, lot 490, when acquired by the present owner

The 4th Earl of Bristol as the third and youngest son of the 1st Earl of Bristol, entered the Church and was appointed Bishop of Derry in Ireland, one of the richest sees at that time. With his own considerable personal resources and a vast income from his Irish bishopric, he travelled extensively on the continent and particularly in Italy and was a discerning and voracious collector. The innumerable Bristol Hotels throughout Europe are named after him. Whilst in Rome he attempted to buy the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, which he intended to ship to Ireland and re-erect on his estate there at Downhill. When permission to do so was refused, undaunted he ordered a copy to be built to designs based on drawings he commissioned from Soane. Thus, the present painting, with its representation of that very temple in situ at Tivoli, must have held particular sentiments for him. The Temple replica he built still stands proudly above the Derry coastline.

Condition Report

Oil on canvas which has been lined. The original canvas has a horizontal seam running the width of the painting across the sky. This has been filled and retouched and the texture is slightly smooth and lumpy. There are some localised vertical cracks but overall the paint layer is stable and secure. There are scattered areas of overpaint. The varnish is slightly yellowed but even and semi-glossy. The frame is in a good condition.