View of the Arno River in Florence

Thomas Patch, artist

1720–1782

View of the Arno River in Florence, circa 1775–1780

Where object was made: Italy

Material/technique: oil; canvas

Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 90.2 x 119.4 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 35 1/2 x 47 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 103.51 x 137.16 x 6.35 cm

Credit line: Museum purchase

Accession number: 1955.0085

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Empire of Things," 2013, Kate Meyer
Bright orange light emerges from pale pink and blue sky to illuminate some of Florence’s famous monuments, such as the medieval bridge Ponte alla Carraia, the Corsini Palace, and the campanile of the Church of Oganissanti. Patch instills a lively snapshot quality by including small everyday figures in the foreground juxtaposed against an architectural background. Collected by wealthy travelers as visual mementos of the “Grand Tour,” paintings of this type-known as “view paintings,” which depicted famous Italian cities and their historic and cultural monuments-had market demand.

Archive Label 2003:
Patch worked primarily in Italy, producing a large number of highly profitable “view paintings” such as View of the Arno River in Florence. This type of picture was purchased as a visual momento by wealthy travelers who were making the “Grand Tour” of Italy. These extensive trips, inspired in part by the recent archeological discoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii, were considered to be an essential component of a proper education. This “Grand Tour” painting documents the eighteenth-century pursuit of classicism.