The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
71.4 × 56.5 cm (28 1/8 × 22 1/4 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
69780
Art Historical Context
John Singer Sargent's *The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy* (1907) captures the shimmering allure of a grand Renaissance fountain in the lush gardens of Villa Torlonia, a 19th-century estate near Rome. Painted during Sargent's extensive travels through Italy, this oil on canvas reflects his shift in later career from formal portraits to vibrant landscapes, embracing the sunlight and atmospheric beauty of Mediterranean settings. At 71.4 × 56.5 cm, the intimate scale invites viewers into a moment of serene elegance, evoking the villa's historical role as a retreat for Roman nobility. ...
About the Artist
John Singer Sargent · 1856–1925
John Singer Sargent, born on January 12, 1856, in Florence to American expatriate parents FitzWilliam Sargent, an eye surgeon and medical illustrator, and Mary Newbold Singer, an amateur artist, enjoyed a nomadic childhood across Europe. His mother nurtured his artistic inclinations with sketchbooks and museum visits, while he received early watercolor lessons from German landscape painter Carl We...