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The painting features a landscape view from an elevated perspective, showcasing lush vegetation and rolling hills in the distance. An obelisk-like structure is seen on the right side. The brushwork is varied, with detailed strokes for the trees and foliage, and blended strokes for the sky. The color palette is dominated by earthy greens, browns, blues, and whites. A path with figures and animals leads through the scene, transitioning into a softer focus towards the hill with the obelisk.
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The painting features a landscape view from an elevated perspective, showcasing lush vegetation and rolling hills in the distance. An obelisk-like structure is seen on the right side. The brushwork is varied, with detailed strokes for the trees and foliage, and blended strokes for the sky. The color palette is dominated by earthy greens, browns, blues, and whites. A path with figures and animals leads through the scene, transitioning into a softer focus towards the hill with the obelisk.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

Arcadian Landscape with an Obelisk

Salomon Gessner

Date
1785
Medium
gouache on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.1 x 38.8 cm (11 1/16 x 15 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2002.67.1
Credit line
Rudolf and Lore Heinemann Fund
Time span
1776 to 1800
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Swiss
  • Tree
  • Obelisk
  • Nature
  • animal
  • Sky
  • Figures
Provenance

Prince Heinrich Reuss, Bad Köstritz. Hannelore Kettler, Frankfurt am Main, 1945. (David Tunick, New York); purchased 2002 by NGA.

Inscription

lower left in brown gouache: S. Gessner 1785

Watermarks

WHATMAN

NGA object ID 124844. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.