Chariot of Apollo

Attributed to Sir James Thornhill British
1700–1734
Not on view
As the leading decorative painter in Britain, Thornhill created ceiling and wall decorations for Chatworth (1702–8), the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich (1707–21), Hampton Court (1715) and Blenheim (1716), as well as designing a scheme for the cupola of St. Paul’s Cathedral cupola (1714–17). This image has not been connected to a particular commission, but its primary elements appear in many Thornhill ceilings (Apollo’s chariot, for example, is found in the lower hall at Greenwich). Basing his draftsmanship on Italian models, the artist outlined forms fluidly in pen before shading them delicately with brush and wash.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chariot of Apollo
  • Artist: Attributed to Sir James Thornhill (British, Woolland, Dorset (?) 1675/76–1734 Stalbridge, Dorset)
  • Date: 1700–1734
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and wash, over traces of graphite
  • Dimensions: sheet: 6 7/16 x 9 1/2 in. (16.4 x 24.1 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Robert Tuggle, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.489
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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