Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900 Search this
Medium:
Graphite on gray-green wove paper
Dimensions:
32.3 × 46.3 cm (12 11/16 × 18 1/4 in.)
Type:
landscapes
Drawing
Object Name:
Drawing
Made in:
Colombia
Place depicted:
Colombia
Date:
August 1853
Catalogue Status:
Research in Progress
Description:
Landscape sketch showing a view of a rope bridge in use over the Juanambu River in Colombia. At center, one figure rappels down the single-rope bridge in a seated position. The fixed rope is prominently visible descending from the far side of the river, at center right, to the near side, at lower left. The loose rope used to secure the rider is visible hanging below the fixed rope. Across the bridge, a wood loading platform is built into the steep riverbank, where four men wearing large, brimmed caps stand and sit. Beside them at right, two donkeys graze on the rugged terrain. At lower center, the heads of two other donkeys are visible as they swim across the river, which extends from the foreground to the middle distance. In the foreground at lower left, the bridge is anchored on a pair of posts. In the background at upper center, the rugged, rocky ridge of a nearby mountain looms over the scene, while another steep mountainside rises from the opposite riverbank at right.
Verso: Unfinished sketch of the same recto scene, showing just the single rope bridge and an outline of the mountain behind it.
