Hubert ROBERT (Paris, 1733-1808) Washerwomen in front of a fountain at the foot of a Roman peristyle in a river landscape Canvas 43.2 x 34 cm Original gilded oak frame carved with rais-de-coeur motifs Provenance: In the same family since the 1880s. Our painting features compositional elements found in the Architectural Caprice with the statue of Minerva and a Dioscurus (Canvas, 298 x 168.5 cm, painted circa 1780, Galerie Eric Coatelem). The vertical format of the painting allows us to depict the height of the ancient architecture at the foot of which the washerwomen are busy at the edge of a fountain. In the background, a winding stream leads our gaze into the distant landscape, where a mountain stands out, its colors blending with the clouds. The Mediterranean sky, filtering clear, soft light, lends the whole a warm, evening atmosphere.