The Via Nomentana

The Via Nomentana

Richard Wilson, 1754

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Artist: Richard Wilson (British, 1713–1782)
Medium: Black and white chalk with stumping on medium, moderately textured, gray laid paper
Size: Sheet: 10 7/8 x 16 5/8 inches (27.6 x 42.2 cm)
Museum: Yale Center for British Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

The Via Nomentana runs northeast from Rome to Nomentum (present-day Mentana) and the Alban Hills to the south are visible in the distance of Wilson’s drawing. The present view is taken from about two miles outside the Porta Pia, at the bridge across the Fosso della Cecchina. Visible in the middle distance is the bridge across the Aniene (Anio) that was the subject of an independent Dartmouth drawing (cat. 68).

The Via Nomentana was fringed with a number of ancient monuments that Wilson drew, including the so-called Sedia del Diavolo, and was a popular place for walks and picnicking during the eighteenth century. Rather than focusing on a specific monument, Wilson’s view shows the proximity of the Roman Campagna and the series of hills that fringe the city. Jonathan Yarker

Text: Yale Center for British Art.

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