Study for Landscape, Destruction of Niobe's Children

Wilson's study for his monumental Destruction of Niobe's Children from the early to mid-1760s documents his approach to the most ambitious mythological landscape in his career — a large canvas depicting the divine punishment of Niobe, who boasted of having more children than Leto and was punished by Apollo and Diana killing all fourteen of her children with arrows. The myth was a vehicle for depicting a large number of figures in dramatic action within a stormy landscape setting, combining the grandeur of historical painting with Wilson's primary commitment to landscape. This preparatory study shows how Wilson developed his compositions before committing to the final canvas.

Wilson's oil sketch captures the dramatic landscape setting with rapid, energetic brushwork and strong tonal contrasts, revealing his compositional planning process for the larger finished canvas.