Design for a Triumphal Arch for the Gardens at Chateau d'Enghien, Belgium

Charles de Wailly

1782 · Pen and Ink, partially over charcoal underdrawing, watercolor · Drawings and Prints

This is one of three drawings from the collection of Mrs. Wrightsman, made by the artist Charles de Wailly for the gardens of Enghien. They were part of a larger plan developed by the Duke of Arenberg to redesign the palace and gardens. In 1780 he attracted De Wailly to this end, who finished his overall redesign in 1782, which was never realized. His plans for the garden included this triumphal arch, which was one of the follies meant for the area of the garden described as Mount Parnassus or "New Herculaneum". The drawing in pen and ink with watercolor shows the arch as situated in an Italianate pastoral landscape inhabited with shepherds and travelers.

Artist

Charles de Wailly

Date

1782

Medium

Pen and Ink, partially over charcoal underdrawing, watercolor

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019