Ludwig Richter (German, 1803–1884)
The Fountain at Grottaferrata
INV-2099
Ludwig Richter (German, 1803–1884)1832
The Fountain at Grottaferrata
Ludwig Richter (German, 1803–1884) →nineteenth century19th centurypaintinggerman
Date
1832
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
113 × 99.5 cm (44 3/8 × 39 in.); Framed: 135.9 × 122 cm (53 1/2 × 48 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Through prior gift of Mrs. Henry C. Woods; through prior gift of Dellora A. Norris; Lacy Armour Fund; through prior gift of Henry Morgen, Ann G. Morgen, Meyer Wasser and Ruth G. Wasser; Louise and Frank Woods Purchase Fund in honor of Mrs. Edward Harris Brewer
With its golden light and peaceful figures in a bucolic environment, this painting represents an idealized view of life in the Italian countryside, as seen through a German lens. Like many young artists of the period, German painter and etcher Ludwig Richter traveled to Rome to study Classical ruins and the Mediterranean landscape. The Fountain at Grottaferrata, completed some years after the artist returned to Germany, is based on his detailed drawings of the countryside just outside Rome. Richter carefully reproduced the features that made this site famous, such as the fortified monastery in the background.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
