Fountain at the Villa Panfili, Italy 1752

This drawing, "Fountain at the Villa Panfili, Italy," was created by Stephen Riou in 1752. Riou was a British artist who traveled to Italy in the 18th century and made a number of drawings of fountains and other architectural features. The intricate, detailed pen-and-ink drawing is characteristic of his work. The drawing is of the elaborate fountain at the Villa Panfili, a large estate just outside Rome, Italy. The fountain has a large, shell-shaped basin, which is supported by two large dolphins. The composition is dominated by the central fountain, with a smaller, circular fountain in the foreground. The drawing is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.