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Watercolor of a ruined classical villa beyond a river at sunset, with cattle wading in the water and an autumn tree in the foreground.

Evening in Italy: The Deserted Villa

A ruined classical villa rises beyond a river at dusk, its columns and walls glowing in warm amber light. In the foreground, cattle wade through shallow water beside a tree whose autumn foliage blazes orange, while a small figure stands at the bank.

Artist
Samuel Palmer
Date
1845
Medium
Watercolor, with traces of shell gold, over graphite on cream wove paper, perimeter mounted to cream wove card
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
1686 × 786 px
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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1845).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Celia and David Hilliard in honor of Jim and Emese Wood

Night and Dreams19th century1840s1845watercolorromantic landscaperivercattleautumn treessunset landscapesamuel palmer

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