Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Robert Vernon
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/richard-wilson-606" aria-label="More by Richard Wilson" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Richard Wilson</a>
Maecenas Villa Tivoli
Presented by Robert Vernon 1847
adults
arch
architecture
cities, towns, villages (non-UK)
classical
column
countries and continents
decadence
decay
emotions, concepts and ideas
features
figure
fine arts and music
history
Italy
objects
palace
people
periods and styles
places
residential
residential
ruins
sculpture, classical
social comment
society
Tivoli, Santuario di Ercole Vincitore
universal concepts
<p>The composition of this view, and that of its companion, <i>Hadrian's Villa</i>, is more modest than many of Wilson’s larger Tivoli paintings. Nevertheless, it incorporates a similar intellectual message in its theme of the destruction of past glories through time and neglect. The villa was believed to have been the residence of Maecenas, ambassador of the Emperor Augustus and most renowned of all Roman patrons of the arts. He was seen as the personification of decadent luxury. The ruins of his villa therefore embodied both a high point of classical civilisation and the cause of its collapse. Wilson’s view of the crumbling building thus held a moral lesson for the viewer.</p><p><em>Gallery label, April 2007</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
2 October 2001 – 30 November 2001
2001-11-30
2 October 2001 – 30 November 2001
2001-11-30
2001-10-02
Holburne Museum of Art (Bath, UK)
http://www.bath.ac.uk/Holburne/
2001-10-02
In Ruins
Loan-out
6 April 2007 – 30 September 2007
2007-09-30
6 April 2007 – 30 September 2007
2007-09-30
2007-04-06
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2007-04-06
Visions of Italy
Collection based display
4 March 2014 – 18 May 2014
2014-05-18
4 March 2014 – 18 May 2014
2014-05-18
2014-03-04
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2014-03-04
Ruin Lust
Exhibition
Maecenas’ Villa, Tivoli
support: 361 × 254 mm
frame: 492 × 387 × 75 mm
Presented by <a href="/search?gid=999999978" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Robert Vernon</a> 1847
<p>This is one of a pair of small pictures of the ruins of Roman villas painted by Richard Wilson between about 1763 and 1765. The other picture, also belonging to Tate, is entitled <i>Hadrian's Villa </i>(<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/wilson-hadrians-villa-n00302" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N00302</span></a>). The title of the present picture, <i>Maecenas' Villa</i>, was first used by Wilson's pupil, Joseph Farington (1747-1821), who owned another similar version of the same subject, and which later belonged to John Constable (1776-1837). Even so, there is no absolute proof that the ruin in question relates to Maecenas's villa, although it is possible that Wilson may have considered it as such.

</p><p><i>Maecenas' Villa</i> appears to have been based upon a <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawing</span></a> (British Museum, Department of <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/print" title="Glossary definition for 'Print'"><span>Prints</span></a> and Drawings) made by Wilson in Italy in 1752-3 (Constable, p.205, plate 87b; Solkin, p.162, reproduced). There are, however, noticeable compositional variations between the drawing and the finished picture, particularly the inclusion of the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/l/landscape" title="Glossary definition for 'Landscape'"><span>landscape</span></a> to the left and the broken antique column and statue in the finished picture.

</p><p>In 1776 Michael Angelo Rooker (1743 or 1746-1801) <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/e/engraving" title="Glossary definition for 'Engraving'"><span>engraved</span></a> a version of the subject as <i>Villa of Maecenas at Tivoli</i> for <i>Twelve Original Views of Italy</i> published by John Boydell (1719-1804). However, the engraving varies from known versions of the picture, including the present <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a>. Indeed, the fact that the engraving is inscribed 'Wilson del.' ('delineat' or drawn by), suggests that it was made from a drawing by Wilson - although not the drawing of the related subject in the British Museum. 

</p><p>Numerous copies were made from Wilson's own versions of the picture, and also probably from the engraved image. For a history of the picture and related versions by John Constable see the short text for <i>Hadrian's Villa</i>, Tate <span>N00302</span>.

</p><p><b>Further reading:<br/></b><b><br/></b>W.G. Constable, <i>Richard Wilson</i>, London 1953, p.205, pl.87a<br/>David H. Solkin, <i>Richard Wilson. The Landscape of Reaction</i>, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery 1982, pp.218-9, no.108, reproduced<br/>Robin Hamlyn, <i>Robert Vernon's gift. British Art for the Nation 1847</i>, exhibition catalogue, Tate Gallery 1993, p.65, reproduced

</p><p>Martin Postle<br/>June 2001</p>
Summary
2005-09-15T00:00:00
summary
SHORT_TEXT
<p>The composition of this view, and that of its companion, <i>Hadrian's Villa</i>, is more modest than many of Wilson’s larger Tivoli paintings. Nevertheless, it incorporates a similar intellectual message in its theme of the destruction of past glories through time and neglect. The villa was believed to have been the residence of Maecenas, ambassador of the Emperor Augustus and most renowned of all Roman patrons of the arts. He was seen as the personification of decadent luxury. The ruins of his villa therefore embodied both a high point of classical civilisation and the cause of its collapse. Wilson’s view of the crumbling building thus held a moral lesson for the viewer.</p>

Display caption
2007-04-25T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
adults arch architecture cities, towns, villages (non-UK) classical column countries and continents decadence decay emotions, concepts and ideas features figure fine arts and music history Italy objects palace people periods and styles places residential residential ruins sculpture, classical social comment society Tivoli, Santuario di Ercole Vincitore universal concepts