Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Ed Pollard-2008.

An Italian Garden

Artist William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916)

Dateca. 1909

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions16 × 21 7/8 in. (40.6 × 55.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 24 1/4 × 29 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (61.6 × 74.9 × 8.9 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineGift of Edward J. Brickhouse

Object number59.79.1

Terms

Garden
Flowers
Trees
Italy
Blue
Green
White
Red
Yellow
Pink
Impressionist
Florence, Italy

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting depicting the garden of Villa Corsi-Salviati in Sesto Fiorentino just outside Florence, Italy, in the summer of 1909. The viewer is placed on the central path in the garden. The lightness of the color and pale mauve shadows directly underneath indicate it is around noon. On the right and left of the viewer are blurred beds of color representing a myriad of flowers. The architecture of the middle ground is closely surrounded by trees and shrubs, except for a low fountain gurgling in front of an iron wrought gate. The background of this peaceful scene has cumulus clouds peaking from behind tall trees against a light blue sky.

Label TextWilliam Merritt Chase American, 1849–1916 An Italian Garden, ca. 1909 Oil on canvas An American artist painting an Italian garden in a French style—William Merritt Chase’s canvas demonstrates the international reach of Impressionism. An avid teacher, Chase took his American art students on annual trips to Florence, Italy, to study the European masters. While there, he painted in the garden of the Villa Corsi-Salviati, using a dazzling medley of pure colors to capture its colorful flowers under the bright Italian sun. The fountain and sculptures of figures and animals hint at the villa’s 16th-century origins. Chase had visited the garden shortly after a major renovation restored it to its former glory. Gift of Edward J. Brickhouse 59.79.1