Venetian Capriccio: Landscape with a Farm Building, Sarcophagus, and Fountain (recto); Monument (verso)
Medium
Pen and light brown ink, brush and gray wash (recto); soft black chalk, or graphite, or leadpoint (verso).
Dimensions
sheet: 6 5/8 x 9 7/16 in. (16.9 x 24 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Morrie and Fenella Heckscher, 2009
Accession Number
2009.519
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Bernardino Bison1762–1844), a prolific Venetian artist of the Neoclassical era, crafted this enchanting *Venetian Capriccio* as double-sided drawing, blending real and imagined elements in the tradition of 18th- and 19th-century *vedute* and fantasies. On the recto, a whimsical landscape unfolds with a rustic farm building, an ancient sarcophagusevoking Roman ruins—and a graceful fountain, capturing Venice's Romantic fascination with picturesque decay and antiquity. The verso features a quick sketch of a monument, showcasing Bison's versatility in preliminary studies for larger works ...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Bernardino Bison
Born 16 June 1762; died 24 August 1844. Comment on works: Landscapes