Château Amboise, Vallée de la Loire, France

• Gouache over pencil on thick wove watercolor paper
• Signed

In this rare and beautiful painting, Louis Comfort Tiffany has captured the stunning facade of the Château Amboise, which sits on a promontory overlooking the Loire River and the Loire Valley. He imparts a sense of the breathtaking view using color and light. As in this instance, Tiffany created many of his paintings to document his travels and surroundings.

This painting shows a thorough understanding of architectural rendering. Tiffany may have been influenced by American artist Samuel Colman with whom he traveled in Europe and North Africa in the 1870s. Colman often depicted the architectural features he saw on his travels, including cityscapes, castles, bridges, arches, and aqueducts.

Many of Tiffany’s paintings descended within his family and therefore have only recently been put on public display. Such is the case with this painting.

The Château Amboise is a medieval castle that was confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century. Various French kings spent time living at the castle. The tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his final years in Amboise, is in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert at the Château. Since 1840, the castle has been listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture.