Ponte Molle, Rome
18th century
Medium
Watercolor
Dimensions
8 5/16 x 11 7/16 in. (21.1 x 29.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1940
Accession Number
40.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sunlit banks of the Tiber River with Joseph Vernet's *Ponte Molle, Rome an exquisite 18th-century capturing the iconic Ponte Milvio—one of ancient Rome's most storied bridges. Created during Vernet's formative years in Italy (1734–1753), this intimate view (8 5/16 x 11 7/16 in.) showcases the artist's keen eye for topography and atmosphere. As a leading French landscape painter, Vernet blended Neoclassical precision with emerging Romantic sensibilities, often documenting Rome's ruins and waterways for patrons eager for authentic Grand Tour souvenirs. Watercolor's fluid transpare...