At Rome

Richard Cooper II British, Scottish
1774–75
Not on view
Born in Edinburgh, Cooper II trained as an engraver under his father, then studied in Paris with Jacques Philippe le Bas (1707-1783). He made these drawings during a visit to Italy in 1771-76 and, until recently, they were preserved in an album that descended in the family. Interestingly, each composition relates closely to a drawing in a sketchbook that Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797) used in Rome in 1774-75 (57.102.1(1-44)). These visual links suggest that the two artists sketched together and possibly took it in turns to use an optical instrument. While the outlines of the related compositions are close, each was then developed in markedly different ways. This drawing relates to Wright's sketchbook page 57.102.1(36).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: At Rome
  • Artist: Richard Cooper II (British, Edinburgh, Scotland 1740–1822 Eltham, Kent)
  • Date: 1774–75
  • Medium: Counterproof of an iron gall ink drawing, with graphite
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 7 15/16 × 11 5/8 in. (20.2 × 29.5 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Abbott and Holder Ltd., 2023
  • Object Number: 2023.291.6
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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