Hubert RobertFrench, 1733–1808Couple by a Fountain
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Couple by a Fountain” now? Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Details
- Accession number
- 2022.40.25
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Gallery of Art
- Image: National Gallery of Art — Museum open access
In the life of Hubert Robert
The whole life1754–1765 · Workplace
Rome
1754–1765
Roman circle: Panini, Piranesi, Fragonard
In Rome Robert studied perspective under the veduta master Giovanni Paolo Panini, met Piranesi, and became friends with Jean-Honoré Fragonard and the Abbé de Saint-Non; with Fragonard he drew from nature in Rome and its environs and stayed for long periods at the Villa d'Este in Tivoli.
August 1765
Return to Paris
After eleven years in Italy Robert returned to Paris, where his success was swift.
1767
Debut at the Paris Salon
Robert presented thirteen paintings and numerous drawings of ruined classical architecture at the Salon, winning critical acclaim; Diderot wrote: "The ideas that ruins awaken in me are grand." He continued to take part in the Salons regularly until 1798.
1778
Keeper of the Royal Museum
When the decision was made to open a museum in the Louvre, Robert was appointed keeper of the Royal Museum, charged with preparing the masterpieces of the royal collection for exhibition. Until 1793 he lived in the Grande Galerie of the Louvre.
29 October 1793
Arrest during the Revolution
The revolutionary surveillance committee arrested Robert on suspicion of disloyalty and imprisoned him in Sainte-Pélagie; on 31 January 1794 he was transferred to Saint-Lazare. In prison he drew a great deal, painted scenes of prison life, and decorated plates for sale.
![Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/8f29e3c9-a289-4d53-abf0-31a66e9e98fa/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
![Wreath of Laurel, Palm, and Juniper with a Scroll inscribed Virtutem Forma Decorat [reverse], Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/ff62e8d0-45c4-498f-ad36-6358de827e04/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
