Fontaine aux environs de Tunis
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
Image: 7 7/16 × 11 3/4 in. (18.9 × 29.8 cm) Sheet: 11 7/8 × 17 1/8 in. (30.2 × 43.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Weston J. Naef, 1985
Accession Number
1985.1123.44
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This lithograph, titled *Fontaine aux environs de Tunis*, presents a tranquil North African scene centered on a fountain in the outskirts of Tunis. Created between 1850 and 1914, it reflects the work of French Orientalist painter Charles Emile de Tournemine, with contributions from Jules Didier and the Bertauts firm. The image captures the light, architecture, and everyday details of the region through delicate tonal gradations typical of the medium. Lithography, a popular printmaking technique of the period, enabled artists to reproduce atmospheric effects and intricate compositions for wider distribution beyond the original painting or drawing. This allowed European audiences greater access to evocative views of North Africa during an era of increased travel and colonial interest. The sheet’s modest scale—roughly 7 by 12 inches for the image—further suited it for personal collections and portfolios. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, the work exemplifies how 19th-century printmakers bridged distant cultures through accessible, finely crafted images that continue to offer viewers a window into historical perceptions of place and light.
About the Artist
Bertauts|Charles Emile de Tournemine|Jules Didier (French|French) · 1830 |1808 –1860 |1879
|French, Marseilles 1808–1879 Valmondois