A Landscape
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-73-164
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**A Landscape** by Charles Nicolas Ransonnette (1793–1877), a French, invites viewers into the serene world of 19th-century nature depiction. Created between 185 and 1870, this drawing falls within the mid-century period when French artists increasingly celebrated landscapes, blending Romantic idealism with emerging Realism. Though the precise medium is unknown, its classification as a drawing underscores intimate, preparatory nature of such works—often valued for their directness and technical finesse in capturing light, form, and atmosphere on paper. Ransonnette's oeuvre reflects the era's ...