Tyrolese Interior

John Singer Sargent

1915 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

During the summer of 1914, Sargent and some friends visited the Austrian Tyrol. Austria’s declaration of war on Serbia in July marred the summer’s tranquility. "Tyrolese Interior" was probably painted in or near Sankt Lorenzen, in an old castle that had long since been transformed into farmers’ quarters. It shows a peasant family at their midday meal against a background filled with religious objects. When the delivery of ten watercolors Sargent sold to the Metropolitan in 1915 was delayed by the danger of transatlantic shipping, he offered to add to the lot this work, which he called “the best oil picture I did in Tirol [sic] last summer.”

Artist

John Singer Sargent

Date

1915

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

George A. Hearn Fund, 1915