Getty Museum
A ship in a port near a ruined obelisk
Creator
Pierre PugetFrench Artist · 1620–1694
All works by this person →Though he is best known today as a sculptor, Pierre Puget was also a prolific draftsman, painter, and architect. In Puget's drawings, marine themes abound, and his precise technique is reminiscent of engraving. Puget's sculptural style resembled the Italian Baroque, something that earned him favor with many later French artists, but which drew criticism from some of his peers. Puget was born in Ma
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1675–1680
- Medium
- Pen and black ink and black chalk, on vellum
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Throughout his life, Pierre Puget expressed a fascination with ships and marine life, probably due to the fact that he was born and raised in the French port city of Marseilles. This detailed drawing of ships in a port is no exception. Here, two deckhands struggle to tether a large vessel, using fragments of a ruined pillar nearby. Another ship sits at anchor in the middle distance, and a half-finished hull is dry-docked to the right. Classical ruins incongruously decorate the far and near shores of the inlet. Puget's tight parallel lines in pen and ink contribute to the illusion of space, with distant details rendered in hazy chalk. Given his background, it is not surprising that Puget designed and carved ship decorations for a living. He lavished attention on these features, especially the statues decorating the upper deck of the ship and its railings.
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