View of the Great Basin from the Entrance of the Great Walk to the House at Stowe, Buckinghamshire
ca. 1739
Medium
Pen and ink, brush and wash
Dimensions
sheet: 14 11/16 x 21 1/16 in. (37.3 x 53.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.79(10)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent landscapes of 18-century England with Jacques Rigaud's *View of the Great Basin the Entrance of the Great to the House at St, Buckinghamshire* (ca. 1739). This intricate drawing captures the sweeping vista of Stowe's renowned gardens in Buckinghamshire, a pinnacle of English landscape design. Commissioned by the estate's owners, Rigaud, a French artist renowned for his precise topographic views, documented the estate's harmonious blend of formal water features—like the grand Great Basin—and naturalistic elements, including trees, fountains, houses, and a serene lake. Rig...
About the Artist
Jacques Rigaud · 1681–1754
Jacques Rigaud (1681–1754), born in Puyloubier near Aix-en-Provence to an apothecary father, emerged as one of the eighteenth century's premier topographical draughtsmen and engravers. Little is known of his early training, though he began his career in Marseille under the patronage of Nicolas Lamoignon, Marquis de Basville, governor of Languedoc. His earliest dated work, a panoramic *View of Toul...