Artwork
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth Harbour is an oil painting by Julius Caesar Ibbetson. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the National Library of Wales.
About this work
Overview
Julius Caesar Ibbetson, an 18th‑century British painter, completed the oil work titled Aberystwyth Harbour in 1796. The composition records the Welsh coastal town, showing its castle, harbour and the rise of Constitution Hill, and is currently part of the National Library of Wales collection.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a tranquil harbour with two vessels—a small boat carrying a few figures and a larger craft nearer the shore. Along the rocky bank three individuals are depicted, one adult passing an object to a child, suggesting everyday activity within the port’s quiet rhythm.
Technique & Style
Ibbetson renders light with careful contrast, highlighting the gleam on the boats and the shadows on the rocks. An overcast sky lends a muted, cool atmosphere, while the brushwork balances detailed architectural elements with broader, atmospheric washes typical of late‑Georgian landscape painting.
History & Provenance
Created in the late 1790s, the painting entered the holdings of the National Library of Wales, where it remains accessible for study. Its presence in a national repository underscores its value as a visual record of Aberystwyth’s built environment at the close of the 18th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Julius Caesar Ibbetson (29 December 1759 – 13 October 1817) was a British 18th-century landscape and watercolour painter.
