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Fountain of Neptune

A work made of oil on board.

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  • A work made of oil on board.

Date:

1902

Artist:

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)

About this artwork

Best known for his society portraits, John Singer Sargent was likewise adept at landscapes and architectural studies, practices that he increasingly pursued after 1900 in both oil and watercolor. Fountain of Neptune depicts a portion of the famous 16th-century fountain in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Painting his composition on site, en plein air, Sargent chose an up-close, truncated view of the sculpture, focusing not on the god of Neptune, but on the twisting, muscular bodies of other bronze figures adorning the fountain. The play of light on intricate surfaces of architecture and decoration is the composition’s principal subject.

Status

On View, Gallery 175

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

John Singer Sargent

Title

Fountain of Neptune

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1902

Medium

Oil on board

Inscriptions

Signed, lower right: "John S. Sargent"; also signed on verso: "John S. Sargent"

Dimensions

57.2 × 47.6 cm (22 1/2 × 18 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous loan

Reference Number

313.1996

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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