Pompeiian Wall Decoration
1751 to 1775
Medium
watercolor and gouache with gray and brown wash and pen and brown ink over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 20.2 x 17.5 cm (7 15/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection
Accession Number
2009.70.43
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Bernardino Bison's *Pompeiian Wall Decoration (ca. 1751–1775) captures the allure of ancient Roman frescoes a delicate drawing on wove paper, measuring just 20.2 x 17.5 cm. This intricate work, now in the National Gallery of Art's F. McCrindle, showcases Bison's skill as a Venetian artist known for his architectural fantasies and ornamental designs. Rendered in watercolor and gouache with gray and brown washes, accented by pen and brown over graphite, it evokes vibrant, illusionistic murals unearthed from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Created amid the 18th-century neoclassical revival, th...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Bernardino Bison
Born 16 June 1762; died 24 August 1844. Comment on works: Landscapes