Roman Ruins
Artist/Culture
Hubert Robert
(French, 1733–1808)
Date1759
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 74.3 × 62.2 cm (29 1/4 × 24 1/2 in.)
framed: 88.9 × 76.2 × 7.6 cm (35 × 30 × 3 in.)
framed: 88.9 × 76.2 × 7.6 cm (35 × 30 × 3 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineTheodore T. and Mary G. Ellis Collection
Terms
Object number1940.102
DescriptionThe painting is a capriccio showing an abandoned Roman building with stone columns and arches. On the left is a statue of a seated figure. Sections of the structure have collapsed, and weeds sprout from between the stones. In the middle ground a farmer tends cattle, while a woman washes clothes. A crude wooden fence has been built under the arches.Label TextIn 1754, Robert traveled to Rome in the company of Ambassador Étienne François. He stayed at the Académie de France, where he encountered the work of Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691–1765) and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778)—Italian artists known for their scenes of Rome that mixed faithful representations of the city and elements of artistic fantasy. Robert was fascinated with the contrast between the large-scale ruins of the great ancient Roman civilization and the humble, daily lives of the 18th-century Italian peasant. This painting demonstrates his tendency to weave both imaginary elements and reality into his compositions. After sketching ruins on-site, Robert later added lush vegetation and picturesque peasant life to the painting in his studio.ProvenanceP. & D. Colnaghi & Co.; then Theodore T. and Mary G. Ellis, Worcester MA
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