Southern Landscape with Resting Wayfarers at a River

Art Historical Context

In the late 18th century, artist Ferdinand Kobell captured the tranquil beauty of a *Southern Landscape with Restingfarers at a River* in this delicate drawing, dated between 1760 and1799. Created with pen and brown ink accented by brush and gray wash, the small sheet (4 13/16 x 7 13/16 in.) exemplifies the precision of 18th-century draftsmanship. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints, was acquired through the generous Purchase, Alain and Marie-Christine van den Broek d'Obrenan Gift, in 2008. The composition evokes a peaceful pastoral scene: weary travelers rest by a winding river, framed by lush trees, distant mountains, and expansive landscapes. Kobell's masterful use of fine pen lines delineates figures and foliage with clarity, while subtle gray washes add depth and atmospheric perspective, mimicking the hazy light of a southern European vista. This technique, common in preparatory sketches or standalone studies, highlights the era's growing fascination with nature's grandeur amid the Enlightenment's embrace of travel and observation. Such works reflect the artistic shift toward detailed, evocative landscapes in Northern Europe, blending human presence with sublime terrain to inspire contemplation. A gem for visitors, it invites you to linger on the quiet harmony of journey and repose.

About the Artist

Ferdinand Kobell · 1740–1799

Comment on works: Landscapes with figures; Mountains; times of the day