A Naiad (Woman Stepping into a Bath)

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

Francesco Bartolozzi’s1802 print “Aad (Woman Ste into a Bath)” captures a graceful moment from classical. A naiad, the water nymph of Greek and Roman lore, is shown stepping delicately into her bath, her form rendered with soft lines and gentle shading typical of reproductive prints of the era. Created while Bartolozzi, an Italian artist long active in England, was at the height of his career, the work reflects the period’s enduring fascination with antiquity. As a print, the piece belongs to a medium prized for its ability to circulate images widely among collectors and the public. Bartolozzi’s technique allowed the intimate scene to reach audiences far beyond the original drawing or painting it reproduces. Today the work resides in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection thanks to the generosity of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, offering visitors a window into early-nineteenth-century taste for mythological subjects rendered in accessible graphic form.