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Versailles, Fountain of Triumphant France

Eugène Atget

1904

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Versailles, Fountain of Triumphant France is a 1904 by Eugène Atget, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Eugène Atget
When & what style?: 1904
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

The painting shows a detail of the Fountain of Triumphant France. It features two allegorical figures, one representing the French Empire. Atget often photographed the gardens of Versailles, and this image is one example. He was drawn to the area from 1901 until his death in 1927. You can learn more about this style of photography from artist Eugène Atget.

The story of this work

Overview

From 1901 until his death in 1927, Atget devoted much of his time to documenting châteaus and parks in and around Paris. Initially and most frequently, he was attracted to the gardens of Versailles, first working there until 1906. This intriguing detail of the Fountain of Triumphant France isolates two of its three allegorical figures: the seated representation of the French Empire behind Jean-Baptiste Tubi’s sculpture denoting Spain. The fountain was commissioned by Louis XIV to celebrate the French victory over Spain and Holland. The sharply focused composition filled with decorative and…

Read the full account in the museum source.