Provenance
Francis Astley-Corbett, 4th Bt. [1859-1937], Brigg, Lincs.; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 8 July 1927, no. 66, as by Marcellus Laroon); purchased by (M. Knoedler & Co);[1] sold 1 April 1936 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], Syosset, New York (as Laroon);[2] bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1] _Art Prices Current_, n.s. 6 (1926-1927): 438 nr. 9494.
[2] The Bruce Ledger, NGA curatorial files, no. 83, gives the purchase date and lists the painting's location, as of 1 August 1956, as Syosset, Long Island, where Mrs. Bruce had an estate.
Accession Number
1970.17.132
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 114.1 x 195.2 cm (44 15/16 x 76 7/8 in.) | framed: 129.8 x 210.8 x 6.9 cm (51 1/8 x 83 x 2 11/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Canvas
Background & Context
Background Story
View of the Mall in Saint James's Park after Marco Ricci is a version of one of the most important 18th-century views of London, depicting the Mall in Saint James's Park, one of London's most fashionable public spaces. Marco Ricci (1676-1730) was a Venetian painter known for his landscape paintings and theatrical designs, and his view of the Mall combines Venetian landscape painting with the topographical accuracy of the English view tradition. The after 1709-1710 date indicates this is a version made after Ricci's original, demonstrating the demand for views of London's most fashionable public spaces in the early 18th century.
Cultural Impact
The View of the Mall after Ricci is important in the history of 18th-century British painting because it demonstrates the topographical view tradition that was one of the most popular types of painting in early 18th-century London. Views of London's public spaces—combining Venetian landscape painting with topographical accuracy—were enormously popular in a city that was becoming the largest and most fashionable in Europe, and the after 1709-1710 version shows the demand for views of London's most fashionable public spaces.
Why It Matters
View of the Mall in Saint James's Park after Marco Ricci shows the demand for views of London's most fashionable public spaces in the early 18th century. The Venetian landscape tradition combined with topographical accuracy created one of the most popular types of painting in a city becoming the largest and most fashionable in Europe.
