Eros with Three Girls at a Fountain

1770

Salomon Gessner

Associated Names
Salomon Gessner

Artist, Swiss, 1730 - 1788

The image shows two full-length female figures standing close together. One rests her hand on the other's shoulder. Both women have delicate facial features and soft curls in their hair. They are clothed in flowing fabrics covering the lower part of their bodies. They are near a classical stone fountain with intricate carvings. In the foreground, a small cherubic figure with wings plays music on a pipe. Lush greenery surrounds them, with dense trees and bushes extending into a forested background. Above the fountain, a small goat-legged figure, possibly a satyr, observes the scene. The setting evokes classical, mythological imagery.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 14.9 x 18.6 cm (5 7/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
    sheet: 27.4 x 38.4 cm (10 13/16 x 15 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1999.100.8

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Leemann-Van Elck 1930, no. 26

  • Series Title

    Idyllic Landscapes with Mythological Figures, plate 4

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Christopher Mendez, London); purchased 1999 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1930

  • Leemann-Van Elck, Paul. Salomon Gessner: Dichter, Maler und Radierer, 1730-1788. Zurich, 1930.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: S. Gessner inv. et f. 1770; lower right in plate: 4; by later hand, upper right in graphite: (27/10p)

Wikidata ID

Q75430126

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