Washerwomen at the Fountain
Maker
Hubert Robert
(French, 1733 - 1808)
Additional Title(s)
- Les Lavandières à la Fontaine
- Women Washing at a Fountain
Collections
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Dateca. 1770-1775
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions33 x 47 in. (83.8 x 119.4 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Adele S. Browning Memorial Collection, gift of Mildred Browning Green and Honorable Lucius Peyton Green
Label TextThis painting shows one of Robert’s favorite subjects: washerwomen at work amid classical ruins. The implements of the women’s trade – washbasin, washboard, and paddle – are visible in the shadows at left. A Roman sarcophagus serves as the fountain. Robert had studied painting in Rome for more than a decade and had made extensive sketches of Rome’s ruined monuments. In his paintings, he often combined the features of various classical buildings into fanciful architectural ruins, populated by contemporary Roman workers or foreign tourists.Status
On viewObject number78.20.18
