Richard WilsonEnglish, 1714–1782Classical Landscape with Venus and Adonis
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Classical Landscape with Venus and Adonis” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The subject is taken from the Metamorphoses, a series of mythological tales in verse by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, which was a favourite source for Wilson in his later years.
It shows the artist at the height of his powers, reinterpreting the classical landscape of Claude Lorrain in seventeenth-century Italy for a late eighteenth-century British audience.
The ruined building appears in other compositions by Wilson, and is recorded in his 1752 Italian sketchbook, also in the V&A collection; it has been identified as an ancient tomb known as the Sedia di Diavolo, in the Roman Campagna, and may refer to the tragically early death of Adonis.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 105-1878
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
