Fortunately for tourists like me there are a lot of gardens in Rome. The Gardens of Villa Borghese is actually a landscape garden with a lot of different elements. It is one of the biggest gardens in Rome. Its history starts in 1605 when cardinal Scipione Borghese started to reshape an old vineyard.
However after a visit to Villa Borghese with all its splendour, a nice garden with a lot of shadow was just what was needed and the history of the garden is too complicated to remember anyway. A small fountain near an old wall was a private swimming pool for this bird. I made a picture. Actually I made a dozen pictures coming closer and closer every time to the bird. It didn’t care. I was allowed to watch her bathing ritual but if I wanted to drink from the fountain I had to wait until it was my turn.
Once at home I looked through all the pictures I made, and came across the bird again. I could not resist and made an oil painting on canvas (50 x 40 cm).
