LE BASSIN DE SATURNE
1672–1703
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
Rights
Public Domain
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 spectacle, and classical mythology. As an engraving, it served both as an artistic record and a portable ambassador of French taste, allowing viewers across Europe to study the latest innovations in garden architecture without traveling to Versailles or other royal domains. Its crisp lines and balanced composition highlight Perelle’s skill at translating three-dimensional space onto paper. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, the work offers visitors a window into the cultural ambitions of the Sun King’s court and the enduring appeal of printmaking as a means of preserving ephemeral garden splendor.