A River with Fishermen

A River with Fishermen
ArtistClaude-Joseph Vernet
Year1751
TypeOil on canvas, landscape painting
Dimensions59.1 cm × 74.3 cm (23.3 in × 29.3 in)
LocationNational Gallery, London

A River with Fishermen is a 1751 landscape painting by the French artist Claude-Joseph Vernet.[1][2] It depicts an idealised Italian landscape, where groups of men and women are shown fishing in a broad, tranquil river. The building on the right appears to be inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, while a hilltop village with a tower can be seen in the distance.[3]

Vernet settled in Italy for a number of years before returning to France to produce his Views of the Ports of France, a series of pictures for Louis XV. It was displayed at the Salon of 1751 at the Louvre with a pendant piece showing a sunrise. The painting was acquired by the art collector John Henderson who in 1879 bequeathed it to the National Gallery, in London.[4]

References

Bibliography

  • Preti, Monica (ed.) Delicious Decadence ?The Rediscovery of French Eighteenth-Century Painting in the Nineteenth Century. Routledge, 2017.
  • Wine, Humphrey. The Eighteenth Century French Paintings. National Gallery Company, 2018.