Jacob Philipp Hackert (Prenzlau 1737-1807 San Pietro di Careggi)

In 1777 Hackert undertook a journey to Sicily with the Englishmen Charles Gore and Richard Payne Knight. During this journey Payne Knight kept a travel journal and both Gore and Hackert documented the landscapes and antique monuments they encountered in a number of drawings. It was Payne Knight's intention to publish the tour based on his writing and illustrations after Gore's and Hackert's drawings. Payne Knight was keen on describing the manners and morals of inhabitants of the places that he visited 'in search for a reflection of ancient customs but also in order to point out lessons that might be learnt from past history.' (K. Sloan, 'A Noble Art' in Grand Tour 2000, exhib. cat., Rome, Palazzo Esposizione, no. 127). Unfortunately the publication was never realized, but many of the beautiful watercolours, often highly finished like the present one, have been preserved.

Thirty-nine of them, all from Payne Knight's collection, and made during the expedition are now in the British Museum. Among these is a finished drawing by Gore, also depicting the Temple of Concordia at Agrigento (one of the best preserved Greek temples), but he chose a viewpoint from further away, allowing the landscape to play a more prominent role (inv. Oo,4.26). Another drawing by Hackert belonging to this group, closely comparable to the present one, shows the Temple of Segesta, also in Sicily (inv. Oo,4.7; see C. Nordhoff and H. Reimer, Jakob Philipp Hackert. 1737-1807. Verzeichnis seiner Werke, Berlin, 1994, I, fig. 344, II, no. 715). For another view of the Temple of Segesta, seen from a distance, see lot 80.