The weathered wooden frame supporting the back of a painting, revealing crossbars for structural support.
A painting of a grand, sunlit stone bridge spans a canal, connecting to a regal building with figures bathing and socializing along the water's edge, set within a gold frame.
A square label on a worn wooden frame, reading "91c.670 H. Robert" rotated to the side, written in cursive.
Close-up of a worn wooden frame with a round, aged label reading "No 6790 Hubert Robert".
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Hubert Robert

Architectural Fantasy
Now On View

Maker

Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)

Title

Architectural Fantasy

Year

ca. 1802-1808

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

oil paint

Supports

Geography

Place Made: France

Dimensions

114 x 147.8 cm (44 7/8 x 58 3/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Unsigned

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

37.104

Type

Provenance

This work is possibly Un Palais that was sold anonymnously at public auction (Paris?), 3/23/1908, Lot #40 [1]; Galerie Cailleux, Paris; Dr. and Mrs. T. Morris Murray, Boston; -1937, Giovanni Castano, Boston; May 1937, Purchased from Giovanni Castano by RISD Museum, Providence RI

Publications

Exhibition History

European Galleries
Sep 02, 2017

Label copy

Hubert Robert produced many studies of classical monuments, palaces, and gardens in Rome, later recombining them in architectural fantasies. In this composition, the bridge evokes one that abutted Rome’s Villa Madama; its coffered vaults recall the Basilica of Maxentius. Crowned by a structure that includes elements of the Louvre Palace in Paris, it also presents a virtual museum of antique sculptures including the Laocoön, the Horses of San Marco, the Apollo Belvedere, and the Venus de’ Medici. Its soaring perspective and antiquarian details awe, instruct, and ultimately deceive viewers into accepting this imaginary view as a site that once existed in history.

Intermission
Dec 16, 2016 – Jul 02, 2017
From the Reserve I
Paintings of Quality from the Museum's Collection
Apr 09, 1994 – Aug 03, 1994
European Painting and Sculpture, circa 1770-1937
Oct 18, 1991 – Jan 26, 1992
Masterpieces from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Jul 18, 1979 – Sep 14, 1979

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
Architectural Fantasy, ca. 1802-1808
Oil on canvas
114 x 147.8 cm (44 7/8 x 58 3/16 inches)
Museum Appropriation Fund 37.104

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