Winter landscape with bridge and castle,

1693

The idealized and imaginary landscapes of Claude Lorrain, who spent most of his career in Rome, influenced subsequent generations of French artists who never traveled to Italy, including the ­Parisian Pierre Patel and his son Pierre-Antoine, who distinguished himself from his more celebrated father by specializing in small, exquisitely finished landscapes in gouache, an opaque watercolor, on parchment. Most of the works are drenched in Claudian sunlight and feature antique ruins, but there are a few exceptions such as this one, which depicts a lakefront setting gripped by snow and ice. Classically composed, this winter wonderland displays a medley of architectural styles, colossal trees, and genre-like details that derive from the Northern landscape tradition.