By the Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy

By the Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy is a masterly drawing created by John Singer Sargent between 1902 and 1912. This piece captures an informal scene near the historic Villa Torlonia, located outside Rome in Frascati. Executed in charcoal on wove paper, the artwork exemplifies Sargent’s transition away from formal portraiture toward more spontaneous, observational subjects during the early 20th century. Classified as an American work of art, this specific drawing dates firmly within the period of 1901 to 1925, a time when Sargent frequently traveled across Italy and often sketched friends and fellow artists relaxing in sunlit European landscapes.

Sargent employs the charcoal medium with characteristic confidence, utilizing rapid, expressive lines to define the heavy stonework and architecture, contrasted by softer shading applied to the leisurely figures and the flow of water. While the figures seated near the fountain are likely specific individuals, the focus of the composition is less on formal identification and more on the interplay of light and shadow, and the geometry of the Italian baroque garden setting. The quick, decisive handling of the drawing material allows the artist to convey the immediate atmosphere and fleeting moments of relaxation, reflecting the sophisticated leisure enjoyed by expatriates and tourists of the era. This concentration on light and form demonstrates Sargent’s exceptional ability to capture volume and mass using only black pigment on paper.

This significant piece belongs to a broader series of informal, non-commissioned studies that Sargent created during his extended stays in Italy. These drawings, often capturing outdoor scenes, are highly valued for their directness, technical skill, and intimate quality, offering valuable insight into the artist’s private practice. As an important example of the American master’s graphic work, this drawing is housed in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. High-quality digital images and prints of this work are often made available through the museum’s public domain initiatives, ensuring broad access for students and researchers studying Sargent’s remarkable late career output.