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The image shows an elevated perspective looking at a medieval castle on a bridge. The horizon is implied by the castle walls and towers going up into the sky. The drawing features fine pencil strokes giving texture to the stone surfaces of the castle and surrounding landscape. A bridge arches up in the foreground, with buildings underneath on the left. Trees and bushes are nearby and the distant castle with round towers is the focal point. The color palette is monochrome, with shades of gray and black created by varying pencil pressure for tonal depth.
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The image shows an elevated perspective looking at a medieval castle on a bridge. The horizon is implied by the castle walls and towers going up into the sky. The drawing features fine pencil strokes giving texture to the stone surfaces of the castle and surrounding landscape. A bridge arches up in the foreground, with buildings underneath on the left. Trees and bushes are nearby and the distant castle with round towers is the focal point. The color palette is monochrome, with shades of gray and black created by varying pencil pressure for tonal depth.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Stone Bridge and the Fortified Entrance to a Town

Joseph-Marie Vien

Date
1744/1750
Medium
graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 13 x 18.9 cm (5 1/8 x 7 7/16 in.) page size: 42.5 x 27.7 cm (16 3/4 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1983.49.173
Credit line
Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection
Time span
1726 to 1750
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • Italy
  • architecture
  • Cityscape
  • landscape
  • Rome
Provenance

Antonio Cesare Poggi (died c. 1836; Lugt 617); Charles Edouard Mewes; Mark J. Millard, New York; purchased by NGA, 1983.

NGA object ID 62495. 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.