Physical description

Original watercolour drawing to illustrate 'Voyage Pittoresque et Historique de l'Istrie et de la Dalmatie'.

Place of Origin

Croatia (probably, drawn)
Paris (published)

Date

ca. 1782 (drawn)
1802 (published)

Artist/maker

Cassas, Louis-François, born 1756 - died 1827 (artist)

Materials and Techniques

Watercolour

Dimensions

Height: 15 in, Width: 9 in

Historical context note

Done as part of a group of drawings, this watercolour depicts the Diocletian Aqueduct in Split, Croatia. Built in the third century AD, the aqueduct was constructed to bring water from the Jardo River to the Palace of Emperor Diocletian in the centre of modern day Split. It is decpicted here at it’s highest point which stands 16.5 meters tall. The drawing was done as part of a group which was commissioned to show a series of views of the Dalmatian and Istrian coast including historical monuments, ruins, and landscapes.

The commission for this series of works was given to Cassas by a group of amateurs under the patronage of Emperor Joseph II in 1872. Probably started en plein air and then finished at a later time, the drawings were not engraved until much later under the direction of chief engraver François Denis Née (1732-1817). Cassas was known to create an under-drawing with sepia while at the site and would then add watercolour and ink detailing over the sketch at a later time. He used this technique in the creation of his other travel series from his journeys to Constantinople, the Middle East, Asia Minor, and the Greek Isles.

The drawing is an original for an etching found in Voyage pittoresque et historique de l’Istrie et de la Dalmatie, complied by J. Lavallée and published in two volumes in 1802. It was published as plate number 57. The book has a total of 69 plates, 61 of them views engraved after Cassas’ watercolours, several of which are in the V&A collection. Alongside the etchings, the book’s text details the history of Istria and Dalmatia and also gives an account of the sites, much of which was taken from Cassas’ travel journals.

Known for his travel drawings, such as this one, which were later engraved and published in books, Cassas’ style as an illustrator was admired in his lifetime as being true to life and lacking in personal emotion creating an ideal documentation. He did however often add foliage and lush vegetation to his images of ruins as a way of satisfying the longing for an intensely classical age. This coincides with the 18th century belief that nature was ideal, especially when removed from the influences of civilization. In addition to bare landscapes, his drawings were often inhabited by figures. Trained as an ethnologist and archaeologist, he was believed to inspire the Neo-Classical style of architecture in the early 19th century.

Descriptive line

Louis François Cassas, The Aqueduct of Salona. Original drawing for illustration to "Voyage Pittoresque et Historique de l'Istrie et de la Dalmatie"
French School

Materials

Watercolour

Techniques

Drawing

Subjects depicted

Travel

Categories

Drawings; Illustration

Collection

Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection