Artwork
Pirna: The Obertor from the South
Pirna: The Obertor from the South is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Bernardo Bellotto. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Bellotto renders the fortified structure with precise architectural detail, emphasizing its stonework and the surrounding built environment.
The painting titled Pirna: The Obertor from the South, executed by Bernardo Bellotto in 1760, portrays the outer gate of the town of Pirna as viewed from the south, set against a modest village scene. Bellotto renders the fortified structure with precise architectural detail, emphasizing its stonework and the surrounding built environment. The work is an oil on canvas measuring roughly 46.4 cm by 78.1 cm and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
By focusing on a specific civic building, the composition functions as a visual record of 18th-century urban architecture and reflects the artist's interest in documenting contemporary built environments.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1760, this work is an oil painting on canvas by Bernardo Bellotto. The composition measures 46.4 cm in height and 78.1 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece functions as a detailed topographical view, depicting architectural structures and a village setting with the precision characteristic of the artist's vedute.
The handling of the oil medium allows for the rendering of specific building facades and the surrounding environment, capturing the urban landscape of Pirna from a southern perspective.
History & Provenance
Bernardo Bellotto painted Pirna: The Obertor from the South in 1760 using oil on canvas. The canvas measures 46.4 cm in height and 78.1 cm in width. The work was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been part of the museum's collection since its acquisition.
Documentation from the museum and scholarly sources records the painting's provenance from its creation to its present location, though no specific details of earlier ownership are provided in the available records.
Overview
Bernardo Bellotto's 1760 oil painting, Pirna: The Obertor from the South, captures a specific architectural landmark within a broader townscape. This detailed canvas presents a view of the historic Obertor gate and its surrounding village, offering insight into 18th-century European urban environments. The work is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardo Bellotto, was an Italian urban landscape painter or vedutista, and printmaker in etching famous for his vedute of European cities – Dresden, Vienna, Turin, and Warsaw.
