Tivoli: Waterfall, Robert Macpherson
Robert Macpherson
Tivoli: Waterfall
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Robert Macpherson

Tivoli: Waterfall, ca. 1860 – 1865


Blatt
40 x 30.5 cm
Karton
55.6 x 34.5 cm
Physical Description
Albumen print mounted on cardboard
Inventory Number
St.F.126
Acquisition
Acquired in 2011 with support from the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the Hessischer Kulturstiftung, property of the Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

For nineteenth-century travellers to Rome, an excursion to the surrounding region—the Campagna, situated between

the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apennines—was a must. In the town of Tivoli, the great waterfall in the park of the Villa Gregoriana had already been attracting artists since the eighteenth century. They usually concentrated on staging the breathtaking natural scenery in interplay with the remains of ancient culture. Robert Macpherson, a surgeon by training, focussed solely on the plunging water, complete with the bright reflections off the mist it causes. Whereas the light on the cliffs at the left brings out their rugged surface structure in all precision, the dense vegetation to the right of the waterfall remains in the dark. The oval shape heightens the image’s poetic effect and draws all the more attention to the motif.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Tivoli: Waterfall
Photographer
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Albumen print mounted on cardboard
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Bezeichnet recto unten Mitte auf dem Trägerkarton: Blindstempel: R. MACPHERSON; ROME
Captions Added Later
Bezeichnet recto unten Mitte auf dem Trägerkarton im Blindstempel: Handschriftlich: 118

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 2011 with support from the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the Hessischer Kulturstiftung, property of the Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
  • 25H landscapes
  • 61D(ITALIA) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (ITALIA) (ITALIA)
  • 61D(ANIENE) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (ANIENE) (ANIENE)
  • 61D(SABINER BERGE) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (SABINER BERGE) (SABINER BERGE)
  • 61E(TIVOLI) names of cities and villages (TIVOLI)
  • 25H216 waterfall
  • 25G3 trees
  • 25H11 mountains
  • 25H213 river
Secondary

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Last update

24.11.2023