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The image shows a person painting on a large canvas outdoors. The person has curly hair, wears a flowing garment, holds a paintbrush in their right hand, and a palette with paintbrushes in their left hand. There is a monkey figure seated in the foreground. The background features faint sketch-like drawings.
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The image shows a person painting on a large canvas outdoors. The person has curly hair, wears a flowing garment, holds a paintbrush in their right hand, and a palette with paintbrushes in their left hand. There is a monkey figure seated in the foreground. The background features faint sketch-like drawings.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Allegory of Painting

Giovanni David

Date
c. 1775/1776
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
123 × 85 mm (trimmed within platemark)
Classification
Print
Accession number
2021.66.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1751 to 1775
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record

Subjects and terms

  • Seated figure
  • Woman
  • Monkey
  • Mask
  • Dress
Provenance

(Paul Prouté, S.A., Paris); purchased 2021 by NGA.

Inscription

lower left in image: David Gen. Inv. fecit; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: [not deciphered]; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 200287

NGA object ID 223582. 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.