View of the Winding Wall in the Villa Borghese
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.9 × 35.7 cm (9 13/16 × 14 1/16 in.); Plate: 38 × 27.6 cm (15 × 10 7/8 in.); Sheet: 37.6 × 50.1 cm (14 13/16 × 19 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
185152
Art Historical Context
Step into the sun-dappled gardens of Rome's Villa Borghese with Christoph Dies' enchanting etching, *View of the Winding*, created in 1792. This delicate print captures the serpentine grace of the villa's iconic wall amidst lush foliage, offering visitors a window into one of Europe's most celebrated pleasure gardens. Dies, an Austrian artist renowned for his precise topographical views, skillfully rendered this scene during his travels in Italy, evoking the leisurely charm of 18th-century landscapes. Etched on luxurious ivory laid paper—a fine, textured support prized for its ability to hold...
About the Artist
Albert Christoph Dies
Albert Christoph Dies (1755–1822) was a German painter and writer who spent a significant portion of his career in Italy, working in the landscape tradition that drew so many Northern European artists to Rome during the late eighteenth century. Born in Hanover, Dies trained in the artistic milieu of the time and eventually made his way to Rome, where he became part of the community of German-speak...