LE BASSIN DE BACCHUS
1672â1703
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-533-114
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Adam Perelle’s “Le Bassin de Bacchus” captures the elegance of French formal gardens during the reign of Louis XIV. Active from the late seventeenth into the early eighteenth century, Perelle specialized in detailed prints of royal estates, parks, and fountains. His works helped spread images of France’s grandest landscapes across Europe at a time when garden design was a powerful expression of royal authority and classical taste. The title refers to a fountain basin dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, a popular motif in seventeenth-century French garden sculpture. Although the preci...