Monastery of Mega Spileon, Greece
1896
Medium
Pen and brown and black ink, brush and brown and gray ink, graphite, heightened with white gouache
Dimensions
8 x 4 9/16 in. (20.3 x 11.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Emma Avery Welcher and Amy Ogden Welcher, 1965
Accession Number
65.639.26
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled dramatically against sheer cliffs in the Peloponnese region of Greece, the Monastery of Mega Spileonmeaning "Great Cave"—is one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world, dating back to 4th century. artist Peter Toft captured timeless allure in this 1896 drawing, during a period when European artists increasingly traveled to the Mediterranean for inspiration. Toft's intimate sketch (8 x 4 9/16 in.) blends architectural grandeur with glimpses of human figures, evoking the daily life of monks amid rugged terrain. Toft employed a rich mixed-media technique: pen and br...