
Read the visual description
The image shows a pastoral scene with two figures interacting with animals. One figure, a woman in a red skirt and white blouse, sits sideways on a donkey adorned with colorful fabrics and bells. The donkey carries a wooden crate. The other figure, an elegantly dressed man with a wide-brimmed hat, stands near a brown cow next to him, with some sheep nearby. They are by a classical ruin with tall columns and sculpted busts. In the background, there are trees and hints of architecture. The brushstrokes are loose and fluid, and the color palette is soft and earthy with shades of blue and green.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
Arcadian Landscape
Giovanni David
- Date
- c. 1775
- Medium
- pen and black ink and watercolor on laid paper
- Dimensions
- sheet: 20.6 × 31 cm (8 1/8 × 12 3/16 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2020.35.1
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1751 to 1775
- Department
- CG-E
Provenance
(Hill-Stone, Inc., South Dartmouth, MA); purchased 2020 by NGA.
Inscription
by later hand, center verso in black chalk: 35
Watermarks
HONIG
NGA object ID 220990. 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.