Artwork
Landscape with a Cave
Landscape with a Cave is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Landscape with a Cave is an 1844 oil on canvas painting by French artist Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny.
Landscape with a Cave is an 1844 oil on canvas painting by French artist Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny. The work belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a naturalistic scene in which a cave opens within a broader terrain, emphasizing geological form and atmospheric light. As recorded in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s catalogue, the composition features a cave as a central element of the landscape, rendered with careful attention to texture and depth.
The painting thus documents the artist’s interest in studying and representing natural landforms, reflecting the mid‑nineteenth‑century fascination with the aesthetic and scientific observation of earth’s structures.
Technique & Style
The painting is rendered in oil paint on canvas, dated 1844. Sources identify the medium as oil paint and the support as canvas, and give its dimensions as approximately 62.2 cm high by 45.7 cm wide. It is classified as a landscape painting depicting a cave, indicating its genre and subject matter.
No further details about the artist’s brushwork, handling, surface condition, or specific formal/stylistic characteristics are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Landscape with a Cave was created by Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny in 1844, executed in oil paint on canvas. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains held. No information is available in the provided sources regarding the original commission, intermediate owners, or the specific chain of custody prior to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The 1844 oil painting Landscape with a Cave by Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, executed on canvas, measures 62.2 by 45.7 units. While the source data confirms the artwork's location within this specific institution, it does not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor does it list any past or current exhibitions for the piece.
Overview
Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny's Landscape with a Cave, an oil painting created in 1844, presents a detailed depiction of a natural setting. This artwork, now housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases the artist's engagement with landscape themes. It invites viewers to observe a specific outdoor environment, characterized by its rugged terrain and the interplay of natural elements, rendered with a focus on realism and atmospheric qualities.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny (1798–1871) was a French artist, born in Saint-Aubin-des-Chaumes.
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