Architectural Fantasy: Ruins of a Circular Temple Seen through a Natural Arch

c. 1785

Pierre-Adrien Pâris

Associated Names
Pierre-Adrien Pâris

Artist, French, 1745 - 1819

The image shows the interior of a cave looking out towards an architectural structure. The view includes the cave's rocks, foliage, the architectural columns and archways, and the sky with clouds peeking through an arch. The colors used are soft browns, greens, whites, blues, and reds. The cave rocks are rough and moss-covered, while the architectural elements are precise and detailed. The color palette combines earth tones with muted architectural colors.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with watercolor and gouache over graphite on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    New Century Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 39.3 x 50 cm (15 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2004.111.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Didier Aaron & Cie, Paris); purchased by NGA, 2004.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2008

  • Medieval to Modern: Recent Acquisitions of Drawings, Prints, and Illustrated Books, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2008, no. 64.

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 252-253, 291, no. 110 (color).

Watermarks

beehive in a shield

Wikidata ID

Q64619638

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