Aeneas before Dido in the Temple of Juno
Drawing
early 18th century (made)
early 18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This drawing is a preliminary design, possibly for the staicase wall decoration at Canons, Middlesex, the now destroyed house of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. The drawing depicts Dido falling in love with Aeneas in the Temple of Juno, a story described in Book I of Virgil's Aeneid. Thornhill loosely sketched the composition in pen and ink, enhancing the shadows with wash.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | Aeneas before Dido in the Temple of Juno |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Drawing, Aeneas before Dido in the Temple of Juno, preliminary design possibly for the staircase wall decoration at Canons, Middlesex by Sir James Thornhill, pen and ink with wash, early 18th century |
| Physical description | Drawing in pen and ink with wash. The study depicts Aeneas before Dido in the Temple of Juno possibly for the staircase wall decoration at Canons, Middlesex. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Dido falls in love wth AEneas in ye Temple of Juno (The inscription refers to a passge from Book I of Virgil's Aeneid in which Dido, having unknowingly embraced Cupid, sets eyes on Aeneas and falls in love.) |
| Object history | Provenance: Purchased from J & D Colnaghi in 1949 Traditionally, this drawing was considered likely to be a design for a wall painting on the staircase at Canons, Middlesex, the celebrated house of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. Constructed between 1713 and 1725, the house was eventually pulled down in 1748 due to the Duke's excessive spending. The drawing relates (in reverse) to the lower portion of an oil sketch in the V&A (P.2-1947), which has similarly been described as a probable design for Canons. Another drawing at Tate (T08143) and an associated oil sketch at the V&A (P.1-1947) are also said to have been designs for Canons but it is now thought that they relate to another, unidentified commission. |
| Summary | This drawing is a preliminary design, possibly for the staicase wall decoration at Canons, Middlesex, the now destroyed house of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. The drawing depicts Dido falling in love with Aeneas in the Temple of Juno, a story described in Book I of Virgil's Aeneid. Thornhill loosely sketched the composition in pen and ink, enhancing the shadows with wash. |
| Associated object | P.2-1947 (Study for) |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1949, London: HMSO, 1961.
Susan Jenkins, Portrait of a Patron: The Patronage and Collecting of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1674–1744), Aldershot, 2007, p.64, n.27. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.218-1949 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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