Ploughing in the Campagna., 1857. Oil on canvas, 15 x 295/8 inches (38.3 x 75.2 cm). Collection of the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, accession no. WAG 269. Click on image to enlarge it.
Mason probably painted this work in 1857, shortly before he was to return to England the following year. The setting is the Roman Campagna, famous for its clarity of light as demonstrated in this picture. The painting with its horizontal format and subtle colours features peasants ploughing with teams of oxen. In the right background is the Aqua Claudia, a famous Roman aqueduct, and a prominent feature of the Campagna. In 1857 this painting became the first work that Mason ever exhibited at the Royal Academy. It failed to generate much excitement from reviewers, however. The critic of The Art Journal felt the portrayal of the oxen was the most interesting feature of the composition: “No. 314. Ploughing in the Campagna. The interest of the composition centres in the yoke of oxen that are working in the plough; they are fine long-horned animals of the Spanish breed” (171). The Times simply felt that it represented “a spirited reminiscence of country life and scenery near Rome.”
Bibliography
“The Exhibition of the Royal Academy.” The Art Journal XIX (June 1, 1857): 165-76.
Morris, Edmund. Victorian & Edwardian Paintings in the Walker Art Gallery & at Sudley House. London: HMSO Publications, 1996, 301-03.
The Times (May 18, 1857).
Last modified 18 December 2022