Anonymous French artist from the 18th century - Rococo Caprice

France, 18th century
Rococo caprice with figures and fountain in a perspective décor
Pen and wash in brown, grey and black ink - 22,2 x 17 cm
Louis XVI period gilt frame - 39.3 x 31 cm

Provenance:
Collection Ludwig Pollak (1868-1943), stamped on verso (L. 788b)

Our sheet shows a composition based around a fountain, whose opulent sculptures and tempestuous water play make it a kind of fantasised Rococo version of Bernini's famous Triton Fountain (ill. 1). The tortuous trees in the foreground and the gestures of the different groups of figures reinforce the dynamism of the whole, which is counterbalanced by the rigour of the staircases and the house in the background, which merge into a perspective treated in an increasingly blurred wash as we approach the vanishing point.

This singular mix of registers is treated by our artist with a certain greediness, served by a great technical mastery, between precision and nervousness of the pen.

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