The Palace of the Popes and Pont d’Avignon

Carroll Beckwith, The Palace of the Popes and Pont d'Avignon, 1911, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Smithsonian Institution, 1974.69.10
Copied Carroll Beckwith, The Palace of the Popes and Pont d'Avignon, 1911, oil on wood, 8 3⁄4 x 5 1⁄2 in. (22.2 x 14.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Smithsonian Institution, 1974.69.10
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Artwork Details

Title
The Palace of the Popes and Pont d’Avignon
Artist
Date
1911
Location
Dimensions
8 3⁄4 x 5 1⁄2 in. (22.2 x 14.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Smithsonian Institution
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — castle — Palace of Popes
  • Architecture Exterior — classical — aqueduct
  • Architecture — bridge — Pont d’Avignon
  • Landscape — river — Avignon River
  • Cityscape — France — Avignon
Object Number
1974.69.10
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1974.69.10

Artwork Description

This painting shows a view of the pope’s palace in Avignon, across the east bank of the Rhône River in southeastern France. From 1309 until the French Revolution, Avignon belonged to the papacy, a remnant of the schism that once left Europe with two popes, one in Rome and another in Avignon. On the left side of the painting is a Roman aqueduct, a reminder that the Roman Empire once extended into France. In 1910, Carroll Beckwith traveled through several towns in France, painting dozens of scenes like this one and capturing the effects of light and color on buildings, statues, and water.