The Cart

The scene is situated in the central valley of Chile, either near Santiago, or, more probably, in the neighbourhood of Talca, where Rugendas regularly stayed, visiting his friend Carmen Arriagada. For the landscape, compare the watercolour executed in Longavi, near Talca (for which see P. Diener, Rugendas, Augsburg, 1997, cat. no. CH-D-191, illustrated p.242.). For a similar typical subject by Rugendas, see the oil on canvas 'Pasco a los Baños de Colina', private collection, Santiago (Diener, CH-0-103, illustrated p.47), dated 1836-40, the same period as the present picture.

We are grateful to Dr. Pablo Diener for the above information. The present picture will be included in Dr. Pablo Diener's proposed Addendum to his Rugendas catalogue raisonné (1997), to be published in 2002.