Charles Joseph Natoire, French, 1700-1777
Title: Study of a Fountain
Date: 1720s
Medium: Red chalk and wash on paper
Dimensions:
40 x 24.4 cm
Credit Line: Transferred, National Museum of Ireland, 1966
Object Number: NGI.3839
DescriptionNatoire, a decorative painter, was appointed professor at the Academy in Paris in 1737. In 1751 he became director of the French Academy in Rome. This design for a fountain may have been inspired by sculptural details he saw in Rome. It incorporates elements typical of the Rococo style including stylised dolphins, a scallop shell and grotesque foliage and rocks known as 'rocaille'. It once formed part of the Dublin Society's Drawing School's collection. Such sheets were copied by students to develop their design skills.
ProvenanceRoyal Dublin Society; transferred from the Royal Dublin Society to the National Museum of Ireland, 1878; transferred, National Museum of Ireland, 1966
Exhibition HistoryMaster European Drawings From the Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Centre, Colorado; Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park; Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin; Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; The Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minnesota; The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1983
NCAD 250th Anniversary Exhibition, RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin, 5 November - 5 December 1996
NCAD 250th Anniversary Exhibition, RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin, 5 November - 5 December 1996
InscriptionInscribed: C. Natoire