View of the Rotundo House & Gardens at Ranelagh
Print
1751 (published)
1751 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This object is a particular type of print called an etching. An etching is made by transferring ink held in grooves on a flat copper plate onto a sheet of paper. The grooves are made by the action of acid eating into ('etching') the surface of the copper plate.
Subject Depicted
The subject depicted is a masquerade taking place at Ranelagh Gardens (located in a part of London, called Chelsea). A masquerade was a sort of fancy dress party where guests also disguised their identities with masks for part or all of the evening. In the background is Ranelagh's most famous feature: the round building called the Rotunda. This was designed by William Jones, architect of the East India Company, and built in 1741.
People
The woman in the centre foreground, standing between a friar and the clown Pantaloon, is Elizabeth Chudleigh. In 1749, she caused a sensation by appearing at a masquerade at Ranelagh, dressed as the sacrificial victim Iphigenia, in an outfit with a see-through top. Elizabeth Montagu, who had gone as Queen Henrietta Maria, remarked, 'Miss Chudleigh's dress, or rather undress, was remarkable; she was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim.'
This object is a particular type of print called an etching. An etching is made by transferring ink held in grooves on a flat copper plate onto a sheet of paper. The grooves are made by the action of acid eating into ('etching') the surface of the copper plate.
Subject Depicted
The subject depicted is a masquerade taking place at Ranelagh Gardens (located in a part of London, called Chelsea). A masquerade was a sort of fancy dress party where guests also disguised their identities with masks for part or all of the evening. In the background is Ranelagh's most famous feature: the round building called the Rotunda. This was designed by William Jones, architect of the East India Company, and built in 1741.
People
The woman in the centre foreground, standing between a friar and the clown Pantaloon, is Elizabeth Chudleigh. In 1749, she caused a sensation by appearing at a masquerade at Ranelagh, dressed as the sacrificial victim Iphigenia, in an outfit with a see-through top. Elizabeth Montagu, who had gone as Queen Henrietta Maria, remarked, 'Miss Chudleigh's dress, or rather undress, was remarkable; she was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | View of the Rotundo House & Gardens at Ranelagh (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Etching |
| Brief description | 'View of the Rotundo House & Gardens at Ranelagh'. Etching by Nathaniel Parr after Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto), 1751. |
| Physical description | Print with a view of Ranelagh Gardens. In the background is the Rotunda, a large building fronted by an arcade. In the foreground is a large crowd of figures, some in masquerade dress, merrymaking. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'A View of the Rotundo House & Gardens at Ranelagh , with an exack [sic] representation of the Jubilee Ball, as it appeared May 24th. 1751. being the Birth Day of his Royal Highness George Prince of Wales/ Printed for & Sold by Robt. Sayer, at the Golden Buck opposite Fetter Lane Fleet Street, and Henry Overton at the White Horse without Newgate' (Lettered with title in English and French) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Ranelagh in Chelsea was Vauxhall's main rival. It aimed to attract a higher class of visitor and its enormous rotunda was more substantial than Vauxhall's flimsy structures. By offering a large covered space, Ranelagh's popularity was less dependent on good weather than Vauxhall's.(27/03/2003) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This object is a particular type of print called an etching. An etching is made by transferring ink held in grooves on a flat copper plate onto a sheet of paper. The grooves are made by the action of acid eating into ('etching') the surface of the copper plate. Subject Depicted The subject depicted is a masquerade taking place at Ranelagh Gardens (located in a part of London, called Chelsea). A masquerade was a sort of fancy dress party where guests also disguised their identities with masks for part or all of the evening. In the background is Ranelagh's most famous feature: the round building called the Rotunda. This was designed by William Jones, architect of the East India Company, and built in 1741. People The woman in the centre foreground, standing between a friar and the clown Pantaloon, is Elizabeth Chudleigh. In 1749, she caused a sensation by appearing at a masquerade at Ranelagh, dressed as the sacrificial victim Iphigenia, in an outfit with a see-through top. Elizabeth Montagu, who had gone as Queen Henrietta Maria, remarked, 'Miss Chudleigh's dress, or rather undress, was remarkable; she was Iphigenia for the sacrifice, but so naked the high priest might easily inspect the entrails of the victim.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1736-1898 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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