Vue prise dans les jardins de la Ville d'Est a Tivoli

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, created in 1764 by Jean Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non in collaboration with Jean Honoré Fragonard, offers a charming glimpse into the famed gardens of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Italy. The composition highlights terraced landscapes filled with towering trees and winding paths, capturing the harmonious blend of nature Renaissance design that has long drawn visitors to this historic site near Rome. As an etching, the work exemplifies the precision and tonal subtlety of 18th-century printmaking, allowing the artists to convey light filtering through foliage and the gentle contours of the terrain. Fragonard, celebrated for his fluid Rococo style, infuses the scene with a sense of movement and vitality despite the medium's constraints. Created during a period when French artists frequently traveled to Italy, this print reflects the era's fascination with classical gardens and picturesque views. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints, the piece invites viewers to appreciate Tivoli's enduring cultural allure through its intimate scale and refined detail.

About the Artist

Jean Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non|Jean Honoré Fragonard (French) · 1727 –1791

French, Paris 1727–1791 Paris