
Read the visual description
This is a painting of a fantastical garden scene with whimsical elements and intricate, delicate structures. The painting depicts an arrangement of floral and arboreal forms creating a tapestry-like composition, interwoven with intricate patterns of latticework and figures engaged in various activities atop these structures. Small animals are perched within the branches, while vibrant colors of blues, pinks, and earthy tones create a vivid visual tapestry. Imaginary elements blend in, including a small boat at the bottom right corner with a bright orange load. The use of color and whimsical subjects suggest inspiration drawn from 18th-century European decorative arts. This is in the style of Jean-Baptiste Pillement.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Arabesque with a Boat
Anne Allen after Jean-Baptiste Pillement
- Date
- early 1760s
- Medium
- color etching inked à la poupée on laid paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 19.5 x 13.9 cm (7 11/16 x 5 1/2 in.) sheet: 22.3 x 16.6 cm (8 3/4 x 6 9/16 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1991.186.4
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1751 to 1775
- Department
- CG-E
Portfolio and series
- Series
- Nouvelle Suites de Cahiers Arabesques Chinois (1991.186.1-5)
Subjects and terms
- French
- etching
- chinoiserie
Inscription
lower left in plate: J. Pillement in.; lower right in plate: anne Allen
NGA object ID 73874. 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.