The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2026

A horizontally oriented graphite drawing depicts an expansive landscape with fine, light shading. A low wall lines the left foreground, opposite a lone figure in a clearing. In the middle ground, clusters of dense foliage frame buildings with pitched roofs and arched windows. Softly sketched hills and faint structures recede into the background under a pale, vast sky. An oval stamp and handwritten inscription "Rome, Janvier 1826" mark the lower right.

View of the Villa Borghese and its Orangerie from the Villa Medici

1826

Frederic Bourgeois de Mercey

(French, 1805–1860)
France, 19th century
graphite
Sheet: 17.2 x 28.2 cm (6 3/4 x 11 1/8 in.)
Gift of the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art 1976.122
Location: Not on view

Description

The Villa Borghese and its grounds was a familiar sight to French artists because it bordered the Villa Medici, which housed the French Academy beginning in 1803. Both of these grand residences were located on Il Pincio, one of the seven hills of Rome. The term villa in the title refers to a princely house set in large gardens. An orangerie was an early type of greenhouse used to shelter tender plants, especially oranges, during the winter months.
  • Estate of the artist (stamped, lower right, in brown ink: ATELIER / * / F. DE MERCEY [inside an oval border] (not in Lugt, but see Lugt Suppl. 1808e for the artist). [Adolph Stein]
  • French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).
    CMA, French Drawings from the Collection (Dec. 13, 1994-Mar. 12, 1995).
    CMA, Views of Rome from the Permanent Collection (to complement the exh. Views of Rome: Watercolors and Drawings from the Vatican Library, held at the CMA Nov. 1, 1988-Jan. 8, 1989), no. 34.
    The Graphic Art of the Barbizon School. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-May 17, 1987).
    CMA, The Graphic Art of the Barbizon School (Mar. 17-May 17, 1987).
    The Lessons of the Academy. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 8-May 29, 1983).
    CMA, The Lessons of the Academy (Feb. 8-May 29, 1983).
    CMA, Year in Review for 1976 (Feb.-Mar. 6, 1977), cma Bulletin 64 (1977), p. 76 no. 80.
    Year in Review, 1976. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 1-March 6, 1977).
  • {{cite web|title=View of the Villa Borghese and its Orangerie from the Villa Medici|url=false|author=Frederic Bourgeois de Mercey|year=1826|access-date=18 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1976.122