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Cader Idris, with the Mawddach River
Also known as: Valley of Mawddach with Cader Idris
About the Artwork
In the distance the peak of Cader Idris is shown, while riders in the foreground descend toward the river Mawddach. Although almost all of Wilson's earlier pictures of Wales suggest some association with that country's heroic past, here the emphasis is on the pleasing beauty of the land. Another version of this picture is in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Richard Wilson was the first major British artist to specialize in landscape, a focus he pursued intently after a visit to Italy in 1750-6. The countryside around Rome, with its rich associations of ancient grandeur, inspired him to look at landscape as a source of poetry. Back in England his Italian landscapes, which appealed to his patrons (mostly English noblemen) were a great success. He then applied a similar approach to his English and Welsh scenes, treating them as vehicles for ideas and emotions.
Provenance
Michael Grazebrook (sale: Christie's, London, 21 June, 1890, no. 131) F. Worsely-Taylor (1892, by descent to Miss Dorothea Worsley-Taylor, Christie's, London sale 15 March, 1978, no. 113) Leggatts for Private Collection (Agnews, London) Michael Grazebrook (sale: Christie's, London, 21 June, 1890, no. 131); F. Worsely-Taylor (1892, by descent to Miss Dorothea Worsley-Taylor, Christie's, London sale 15 March, 1978, no. 113); (Leggatts for Private Collection); (Agnews, London).
Exhibition history
Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991). CMA @ Oberlin (second rotation). Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (April 3-June 5, 2006).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Richard Wilson (British, 1714–1782)
- Date
- c. 1774
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 105.5 x 120.5 x 7 cm (41 9/16 x 47 7/16 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 89.8 x 105.5 cm (35 3/8 x 41 9/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 1989.52
More by Richard Wilson in museum collections
'Il Mascherone,' a Rocaille Fountain on the Grounds of the Villa Borghese
Richard Wilsonc. 1754 · Drawing
View of Saint Peter's from the Palace of the Caesars, with Circus Maximus Below
Richard Wilsonn.d. · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009908
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