Figures Seated Around a Fountain
c. 1755
Medium
black chalk on laid paper; laid down
Dimensions
Overall: 18.2 x 18.8 cm (7 3/16 x 7 3/8 in.) support: 23.9 x 23.4 cm (9 7/16 x 9 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Professor William B. O'Neal
Accession Number
1990.57.4
Art Historical Context
Created around 1755, Jean-Baptiste Lallemand’s “Figures Seated Around a Fountain” offers an intimate glimpse into 18th-century leisure. Rendered in black chalk on laid paper, the small drawing (roughly seven inches square) depicts a group of people gathered casually beside a fountain, their relaxed poses suggesting a moment of quiet conversation or rest in a garden setting. The work’s modest scale and delicate medium invite close looking, revealing the artist’s attention to everyday human interaction. Lallemand’s choice of black chalk allowed for soft, velvety lines and subtle gradations of t...