Courtyard of the Villa Pliniana

Hubert Robert

Associated Names
Hubert Robert

Artist, French, 1733 - 1808

Hubert Robert

Related Artist, French, 1733 - 1808

The artwork depicts the courtyard of the Villa Pliniana from a slightly elevated view, looking through a large arched entrance toward the courtyard. The horizon is not visible, as the scene is enclosed by the villa's architecture. There are stone columns on the right, leading to a rectangular courtyard. Several people are gathered near a fountain, with a small dog nearby. The courtyard is surrounded by stone walls and adorned with classical sculptures. In the distance, beyond the courtyard, tall trees rise above the walls. The color palette includes earthy tones for the architecture and light blues and greens for the foliage and sky. The brushstrokes are delicate and precise, capturing architectural details and figures with clarity.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with brown-gray wash and watercolor on beige laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler

  • Dimensions

    overall: 26.5 x 19.9 cm (10 7/16 x 7 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2000.9.22


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(C. A. Mincieux, Geneva, by 1930); Hon. Irwin Boyle Laughlin, Washington, D.C.; his wife, Therese Iselin Laughlin, Washington, D.C., 1941; their daughter, Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, New York, 1958; gift to NGA, 2000.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Mostra del giardino italiano, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, 1931, pp. 181-182, sala 31, no. 15.

1982

  • Eighteenth Century Drawings from the Collection of Mrs. Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, NGA, Washington, D.C., 1982, no. 19.

Inscriptions

by later hand, lower left in black ink: H.R. 1770; by later hand, upper left verso in brown ink: 22

Wikidata ID

Q64562094

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