Road along a Winding River

c. 1648?

Nicolas Poussin

Associated Names
Nicolas Poussin

Artist, French, 1594 - 1665

The image is a landscape sketch depicting a view from an elevated point. The horizon is positioned at the vertical center, with undulating lines suggesting distant hills or tree lines. There is a horizontal axis across the center, adding depth to the landscape. The sketch features expressive brushstrokes, swirling lines representing foliage and water movement. The color palette is monotone, using sepia tones for an antique look. The foreground has curved lines indicating flowing water or terrain, while detailed strokes suggest vegetation and rocky outcrops in the distance. The grid overlay serves as a structured backdrop, indicating the drawing may be a study.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink, squared in black chalk, on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Baer

  • Dimensions

    overall: 10.7 x 16.5 cm (4 3/16 x 6 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.96.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Rosenberg/Prat 1994, no. 365

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Pierre Jean Mariette (Lugt 1852), Paris (his sale, Paris, 15 November 1775-30 January 1776, no. 250); Maurice Marignane (Lugt 1872), Paris and Marseille; Hans M. Calmann [1899-1982], London; Curtis O. Baer [1898-1976], Atlanta; by descent to Dr. and Mrs. George O. Baer; gift to NGA, 1986.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1958

  • Drawings from the Collection of Curtis O. Baer. The Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA, 1958, no. 37 (cat. by Agnes Mongan).

1985

  • Master Drawings from Titian to Picasso, the Curtis O. Baer Collection, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, 1985, no. 55 (cat. by Eric M. Zafran).

1994

  • Nicolas Poussin, Galeries nationales d'Exposition du Grand Palais, Paris, 1994, no. 232.

2007

  • Poussin and Nature: Arcadian Visions. Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. New York, 2007-2008, no. 60 (Pierre Rosenberg, Keith Christiansen, et al.).

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 54-55, 277, no. 18 (color).

Bibliography

1939

  • Friedlaender, Walter, and Anthony Blunt, eds. The Drawings of Nicolas Poussin: Catalogue raisonné. 5 vols. London, 1939-1974: 4(1963):no. 290 (recto), no. 250 (verso), pls. 203, 222.

1960

  • Shearman, John. "Les Dessins de Paysages de Poussin." In Actes du Colloque Nicolas Poussin. Vol. 1. Paris, 1960: 183.

1969

  • Badt, K. Die Kunst des Nicolas Poussin. Cologne, 1969: 1:253.

1994

  • Rosenberg, Pierre, and Louis-Antoine Prat. Nicolas Poussin 1594-1665. Catalogue raisonné des dessins. Milan: Leonardo Editore, 1994, 1: xx, 680, under no. 351, no. 365.

1996

  • Clayton, Martin. Review of Nicolas Poussin 1594-1665. Catalogue raisonné des dessins. Burlington Magazine 138, no. 1120 (July 1996): 469.

Inscriptions

verso in pen and brown ink, fragmentary letter written by the artist

Wikidata ID

Q64618498

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