View of the Villa Borghese and its Orangerie from the Villa Medici

About the Artwork

The Villa Borghese and its grounds was a familiar sight to French artists because it bordered the Villa Medici, which housed the French Academy beginning in 1803. Both of these grand residences were located on Il Pincio, one of the seven hills of Rome. The term villa in the title refers to a princely house set in large gardens. An orangerie was an early type of greenhouse used to shelter tender plants, especially oranges, during the winter months.

Inscriptions

by artist, lower right, in graphite: Rome, Juin 1826 ; VERSO, upper right, in graphite: 3[9?] / 4W / TONG. / 33

Provenance

Estate of the artist (stamped, lower right, in brown ink: ATELIER / * / F. DE MERCEY [inside an oval border] (not in Lugt, but see Lugt Suppl. 1808e for the artist). [Adolph Stein]

Exhibition history

Year in Review, 1976. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 1-March 6, 1977). The Lessons of the Academy. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 8-May 29, 1983). The Graphic Art of the Barbizon School. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-May 17, 1987). French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Frederic Bourgeois de Mercey (French, 1805–1860)
Date: 1826
Medium: graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 17.2 x 28.2 cm (6 3/4 x 11 1/8 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Gift of the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession no.: 1976.122

Open-access museum record · AT-00011275