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Accession #	11.518
Artist	John Singer Sargent
Title	Dolce Far Niente
Date	ca. 1907
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	16 1/4 x 28 1/4 in. (41.3 x 71.7 cm) frame: 24 3/8 x 36 3/8 x 3 in. (61.9 x 92.4 x 7.6 cm)
Signed	Signed lower right: "John S. Sargent"
Credit Line	Bequest of A. Augustus Healy
Location	American Identities: Centennial Era

Curatorial Remarks: John Singer Sargent spent part of several summers painting open-air subjects in Italy’s Val d’Aosta. The resulting works reveal his pleasure in the description of vividly brilliant light. To suggest an alluring sensuality, Sargent often dressed his models in costumes that he had purchased in the Middle East. Here, several figures almost seem to merge with the water, enhancing the intimacy of the gathering. All three male figures were modeled by Nicola d’Inverno, Sargent’s servant, a fact that reveals the contrivances underpinning this seemingly casual scene.