Artwork
Lago Avernus
Lago Avernus is a watercolor work on paper by the Hudson River School artist William Trost Richards. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts the geographical location of Lake Avernus, a volcanic crater lake in Italy, alongside prominent tree elements.
The work depicts the geographical location of Lake Avernus, a volcanic crater lake in Italy, alongside prominent tree elements. As a landscape created in 1868, the piece focuses on the natural setting of this specific site known in classical antiquity. The iconography is grounded in the representation of the lake and its surrounding vegetation, capturing the physical environment rather than mythological figures or narrative scenes. The subject matter reflects the artist's interest in rendering specific, real-world topography.
Technique & Style
Lago Avernus is executed in watercolor and gouache, combined with graphite, on blue wove paper. The mixed-media handling allows the artist to layer transparent washes with opaque gouache highlights and underlying graphite drawing, while the toned blue ground of the wove paper functions as a mid-value that unifies the landscape composition. The work is a horizontal-format sheet, measuring 11.4 by 24.1 centimeters, depicting Lake Avernus with trees.
The combination of fluid watercolor, body-rich gouache, and graphite on a pre-tinted blue support is characteristic of mid-nineteenth-century American landscape draftsmanship, enabling both atmospheric distance and crisply defined botanical detail within a small-scale work on paper.
History & Provenance
William Trost Richards created the watercolor, gouache, and graphite work titled Lago Avernus in 1868. Executed on blue wove paper, the landscape depicts Lake Avernus and includes arboreal elements. The piece measures 11.4 cm in height and 24.1 cm in width.
It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the American Wing classification. No further details regarding specific commissions, prior ownership chains, or exhibition history are provided in the available records.
Overview
Lago Avernus, executed around 1868 by American landscape painter William Trost Richards, is a watercolor, gouache, and graphite work on blue wove paper. The piece belongs to the American Wing collection and presents a tranquil lakescape framed by low, dark hills, with a solitary tree bending toward the water’s surface.
Artist & collection
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