Italian Landscape with Trees (recto)
1815–21
Medium
Watercolor (recto) Graphite, brush and gray ink (verso)
Dimensions
sheet: 8 11/16 x 12 3/8 in. (22 x 31.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2004
Accession Number
2004.379a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Friedrich Salathé's *Italian Landscape with Trees (o)*, created between 1815 and1821, invites visitors into the tranquil beauty of the Italian countryside. This Swiss artist, active during the early 19th century, rendered the scene in watercolor on the front, capturing the lush greens of trees and the humble charm of scattered houses. The verso features graphite and brush with gray ink, suggesting preparatory sketches that highlight Salathé's meticulous process—common in artists' travel albums of the Romantic era, when nature's sublime qualities inspired wanderers on the Grand Tour. Measuring...