Design for a Naumachia, in the gardens at Chateau d'Enghien, Belgium

1782
Not on view
This is one of three drawings from the collection of Mrs. Wrightsman, made by the artist Charles de Wailly for the gardens of Enghien. They were part of a larger plan developed by the Duke of Arenberg to redesign the palace and gardens. In 1780 he attracted De Wailly to this end, who finished his overall redesign in 1782, which was never realized. His plans for the garden included this site for a Naumachia, which along with a triumphal arch and the Temple of Apollo was one of the follies meant for the area of the garden described as Mount Parnassus or "New Herculaneum". The drawing in pen and ink with watercolor shows the site of the Naumachia as the ruin of an amphitheater, surrounded by a body of water.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Design for a Naumachia, in the gardens at Chateau d'Enghien, Belgium
  • Artist: Charles de Wailly (French, Paris 1730–1798 Paris)
  • Date: 1782
  • Medium: Watercolor over charcoal underdrawing
  • Dimensions: Sight: 12 × 14 in. (30.5 × 35.6 cm)
  • Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.282.3
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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