Venetian Water Carriers

Artist John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)

Date1880–1882

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 64.5 × 70.6 cm (25 3/8 × 27 13/16 in.)
framed: 86.4 × 92.7 × 8.9 cm (34 × 36 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineMuseum purchase through the Sustaining Membership Fund

Terms

Object number1911.30

Label TextLike Whistler and Cassatt, Sargent spent much of his career working in Europe. Sargent was born in Florence, trained in Paris, and split his career between Paris and London. Between 1880 and 1882, he made two extended visits to Venice, where he painted several small oil paintings. While he had made a name for himself with his sought-after society portraits, the subjects of these works were largely scenes of everyday life among the humbler segments of society. Rather than depict the city’s iconic architecture, he chose instead to concentrate on the atmospheric back streets and quiet piazzas dotted with water wells.ProvenanceThe artist; Friedrich Bechstein, around 1886-1895?; sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 1895?; Frederick Crane, until 1910?; acquired by William Macbeth, June 6, 1911; sold to Worcester Art Museum, October 20, 1911

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