April 17, 2024
Grand Tour 18th c. Watercolor Gardens Statues Architectural Capriccio BEAUTIFUL!
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Width: 22 inches This exquisite watercolor has much more to it than meets the eye. While this painting falls squarely into the tradition of "Grand Tour" paintings of the 18th century--please see the very similar example shown in photo #11, which is French and dates to circa 1777-- I think there are three important clues as to what it must have been created for: 1) the octagonal shape 2) the unapologetic joining of two sheets of paper right down the center 3) the brisk freedom of the drawing. The fact that the artist took such pains to create a pretty image yet had no qualms about joining the paper right down the middle--also taking the trouble to conform to the eight-sided shape--leads me to suspect that this is a study for a painting intended to enhance a specific architectural design---for instance, an overmantel, overdoor, or specific niche in an interior of the 3rd quarter of the 18th century. Please see photo #12 which shows an architect's watercolor rendering (created for the great Scottish designer Robert Adam) showing this type of arrangement. In that image, you can see a watercolor rendering of what would eventually be executed in oils, just as the rest of the room will be done in marble, gilt, and what have you. A very important designer would have shown a wealthy client a watercolor of a room scheme showing several
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