An Alleyway between Houses

1858

Not on view

This work is highly unusual in the landscape painter's graphic oeuvre; there is only one other known drawing by the artist squared for transfer. Rousseau made drawings to record the topography of sites he visited, but they rarely correspond directly with finished paintings. The inscription "Bourron" likely refers to Bourron-Marlotte, a village south of the Fontainebleau forest, a site popular with other early Barbizon painters including Camille Corot (1796–1875) and Caruelle d’Aligny (1798–1871). The sparse linearity with which Rousseau describes the stone surfaces of this cobbled alleyway represents a graphic approach favored by the artist in the later decades of his career.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: An Alleyway between Houses
Artist: Attributed to Théodore Rousseau (French, Paris 1812–1867 Barbizon)
Date: 1858
Medium: Pen and brown ink over graphite; squared in graphite
Dimensions: sheet: 14 5/16 x 11 in. (36.4 x 27.9 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Jill Newhouse, 2004
Object Number: 2004.430
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Théodore Rousseau

In the same medium

From the same time and place

The Forest in Winter at Sunset, Théodore Rousseau French, Oil on canvas — The Forest in Winter at Sunset
Théodore Rousseau
ca. 1846–67

Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French — Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century

Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, Giovanni Paolo Panini Italian, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, watercolor, over graphite — Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti
Giovanni Paolo Panini
ca. 1756–58

A Meadow Bordered by Trees, Théodore Rousseau French, Oil on wood — A Meadow Bordered by Trees
Théodore Rousseau
ca. 1845–60

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, Lithograph printed in four colors; three sheets of wove paper — Moulin Rouge: La Goulue
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Printer Affiches Américaines, Charles Lévy
1891

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.