J. Northcote, Rome, to Sam. Northcote, Plymouth, Devonshire, England

RA Collection: Archive

Archive context

Showing item 44 of 61 in this group

Reference code

NOR/44

Title

J. Northcote, Rome, to Sam. Northcote, Plymouth, Devonshire, England

Date

11 Sep 1778

Level

Item

Extent & medium

1 piece

Content Description

The extreme heat has caused great illness among the city's poor; he drinks only wine and avoids fruit; he is delighted that his picture has been requested by the [Uffizi] Gallery, this has aroused envy among English and Florentine artists; he talks politics with a Dominican friar, whom he admires and hopes to paint, and has made sketches of the Sistine Chapel; Zoffany makes spiteful remarks about him and Sir Joshua; he describes the rivalry between Mengs and Pompeo Batoni.