Who painted Fountain in a Summerhouse?

Fountain in a Summerhouse was painted by Salomon Gessner in 1764.

Where can I see Fountain in a Summerhouse?

Fountain in a Summerhouse is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Fountain in a Summerhouse?

Fountain in a Summerhouse is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Fountain in a Summerhouse

Salomon Gessner , 1764

Fountain in a Summerhouse is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Salomon Gessner. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Salomon Gessner’s 1764 etching, titled Fountain in a Summerhouse, depicts a tranquil garden setting centered around a stone fountain.

Salomon Gessner’s 1764 etching, titled Fountain in a Summerhouse, depicts a tranquil garden setting centered around a stone fountain. Two women, one leaning on the fountain’s edge and the other holding a vase of flowers, occupy the foreground, while a narrow window in the background contains a miniature scene of additional figures. Trees, shrubs, a fence, and distant architecture complete the composition.

Subject & Meaning

The work presents an intimate, leisurely moment within a cultivated landscape, emphasizing the harmony between human presence and nature. The inclusion of a framed interior scene suggests a layered narrative, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between interior and exterior spaces and the social rituals of garden enjoyment.

Technique & Style

Executed in fine-line etching on laid paper, Gessner achieves delicate texture through meticulous incising and acid biting. The rendering of water, foliage, and drapery demonstrates a careful control of line weight, creating subtle tonal variations that convey depth and material quality within the print’s limited palette.

History & Provenance

Created in 1764, the etching belongs to Gessner’s broader output of pastoral and genre scenes popular in the mid‑eighteenth century. While specific ownership records are scarce, the print has circulated among collectors of Swiss Enlightenment art and appears in several nineteenth‑century catalogues of his work.

Context

Gessner, a Swiss poet‑artist, contributed to the era’s taste for idyllic countryside imagery, aligning with contemporary interests in the picturesque and the moralizing potential of nature. The print reflects the period’s fascination with garden architecture, particularly the summerhouse as a venue for genteel leisure.