A road by a river outside a town: a distraught woman lying by the side of a road is recognized by a man who grasps her by the wrist. Engraving by W. Woollett.

Date:
[between 1760 and 1769?]
Reference:
3163141i
  • Pictures

About this work

Description

In the right foreground a distraught woman lies by the side of a road, her wrist being held by a man standing. Left, a traveller seen from behind kneels to drink from a waterfall. On a wooden bridge nearby, a second traveller receives directions from a young man pointing along the road to the right. In the centre is the prospect of a town with a fortified citadel, built over a river

Called in the Fitzwilliam Museum online catalogue "Wooded landscape with figures of Judah and Tamar", but the identification seems unlikely, as the man is young whereas Judah was the father in law of Tamar; and the woman is not disguising her face, she is being recognized by the man, contrary to the story of Judah and Tamar. The National Gallery of Scotland online catalogue calls it "Landscape with Cephalus and Procris (or St John and the Magdalene)": there is no sign that the man is a hunter like Cephalus or that the woman had been shot by mistake as Procris was

Publication/Creation

London (Sold in Green Street, Leicester Fields) : [W. Woollett?], [between 1760 and 1769?]

Physical description

1 print : engraving, with etching ; platemark 40.7 x 55.1 cm

Lettering

From an original picture of Annibale Caracci in the collection of John Pitt Esq. to whom this plate is inscribed by his obliged humble servant William Woollett. Annibale Caracci pinx.t W. Woollett sculp.t

Creator/production credits

The attribution of the composition to Annibale Carracci, as stated in the lettering, appears to be speculative

Reference

Wellcome Collection 3163141i

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link