LE BASSIN DE SATURNE
1672â1703
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-533-115
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Adam Perelle’s “Le Bassin de Saturne” captures the grandeur of seventeenth-century French formal gardens through the medium of print. Active during the height of Louis XIV’s reign, Perelle specialized in detailed engravings that recorded the carefully orchestrated landscapes of royal estates. The title refers to a sculptural fountain or basin dedicated to the Roman god Saturn, a popular motif that symbolized the passage of time and the ordered cosmos prized in Baroque garden design. Executed between 1672 and 1703, this print exemplifies the period’s fascination with symmetry, hydraulic specta...