Ruins at Pompeii

1853

Not on view

While studying in Italy as winner of the Prix de Rome for architecture in 1851, Ancelet took a great interest in the recently excavated sites of Pompeii and the Appian Way. He executed this drawing with an architect’s precision, first laying out his composition with ruled graphite perspectival lines before applying the watercolor. His study brilliantly captures the strong light and shadows as they fell across the ruins on a cloudless day.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Ruins at Pompeii
Artist: Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet (French, Paris 1829–1895 Paris)
Date: 1853
Medium: Watercolor over graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 10 3/8 × 13 7/8 in. (26.4 × 35.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Roberta J.M. Olson and Alexander B.V. Johnson, 2022
Object Number: 2022.457.1
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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