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Lot Essay
Francis Towne toured the Continent from 1780 to 1781. In March of 1781 he joined Thomas Jones (1742-1803) in Naples where he was introduced to Sir William Hamilton, (see lot 45). He returned to Rome on 15 April. Towne is known to have completed six drawings on 22 April 1781 in the area of Vicovarro, close to Rome (at the time the area had been recently identified by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784) as the location of Horace's country villa).
The present drawing is number 5 in the series and was, at one time, in the Barton Place Collection, together with numbers 1, 2, 4 and 6.
Numbers 1, 2 and 4 all show views along the road approaching Castello Madamo. Inadvertently Towne inscribed the present drawing with the same location, and as the crossing out indicates, later remembered that it depicted a different part of the road.
The drawing numbered 1 is now in the Museum of Art of Rhode Island School of Design; the others are all untraced.
The present drawing is number 5 in the series and was, at one time, in the Barton Place Collection, together with numbers 1, 2, 4 and 6.
Numbers 1, 2 and 4 all show views along the road approaching Castello Madamo. Inadvertently Towne inscribed the present drawing with the same location, and as the crossing out indicates, later remembered that it depicted a different part of the road.
The drawing numbered 1 is now in the Museum of Art of Rhode Island School of Design; the others are all untraced.