Edward Villars Rippingille (c.1790-1859)
Numerous Figures Eating and Drinking in the Grounds of Ranelagh Gardens, London
oil on canvas
28 x 36 in. (71 x 91.4 cm.)
Provenance:
Private Collection. USA;
Sale, Parke-Bernet, New York, 18th March 1961, Lot 271;
Collection of Joseph A. Patrick, USA
Ranelagh Gardens were public pleasure grounds located in Chelsea, London in the 18th century. Owned by an entertainment syndicate, they were opened on the grounds of a house formerly belonging to the Earl of Ranelagh in 1742 as a rival to the already established Vauxhall Gardens. Soon after they opened, Horace Walpole wrote that they "beat Vauxhall...You can't set your foot [there] without treading on a Prince, or Duke of Cumberland." The Gardens continued into the early years of the 19th century.
