A Palace with an Arched Bridge (A Roman Villa)

1760

Hubert Robert

(French, 1733–1808)

Culture

France, 18th century

Medium

pen and brown and gray ink, graphite, and watercolor

Support

Beige laid paper, laid down on blue laid? paper, modern mat by E. Mans (working in Paris from 1919, Lugt. Suppl. 878b, drystamp on lower right of mount)

Measurements

Sheet: 30.9 x 27.8 cm (12 3/16 x 10 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.362

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Location

Not on view

Description

Hubert Robert had been living in Rome for five years when he executed this watercolor. He was fascinated by the architecture and gardens he saw in Italy and became especially interested in the picturesque interaction between Italy's rich artistic past and the daily life he saw on the streets. This sheet does not represent an actual view. It is, rather, an invention of the artist, who liked to create architectural fantasies by combining the different types of structures he became familiar with in Rome. Here, he enlivened the view with washerwomen doing laundry.