Painted in 1911 in the marble quarries of Carrara, Italy, this watercolor shows laborers hauling a massive rope used to move huge slabs of marble, with John Singer Sargent emphasizing the rope's sweeping curve over fine detail in the workers themselves. It is one of several watercolors Sargent made documenting the quarrymen of Carrara, a region he visited to study the labor behind one of art's essential materials. The painting belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago's Olivia Shaler Swan Collection.
Printed edge to edge on a soft, durable woven area rug with a comfortable, non-slip feel.
