View of the Palatine Hill and the Temple of Romulus

1750

Not on view

Drawings by Barbault are exceedingly rare, only about ten have been published. These are the first two landscape drawings to come to light, although there must have been many, as hundreds of prints of Roman sites are described as after drawings by Barbault. Two drawings, depicting different sites, but with the same medium and dimensions as the proposed pair, were noted in the inventory of the marquis de Marigny, directeur des bâtiments du roi, who had visiting Rome in 1750. Aside from the inscriptions on the mounts, the attribution is also supported by the style, especially that of the figures, which are close to others in Barbault’s paintings. The choice of black and white chalk on blue paper for landscape drawings was popular among French pensionnaires in Rome around 1750.

The drawing depicts a spot at the base of the Palatine Hill in Rome The early Christian church of San Teodoro, referred to in the inscription on the mount as the Temple of Romulus, is seen in the distance at right, but the composition is dominated by what appears to be a large farm house, with shelter for animals on the right and for human inhabitants on the left.

The drawing was acquired together with a pendant (see 2014.459.1).

Perrin Stein, February 2018

Artwork Details

Title: View of the Palatine Hill and the Temple of Romulus
Artist: Jean Barbault (French, Viarmes 1718–1762 Rome)
Date: 1750
Medium: Black and white chalk
Dimensions: Sheet: 11 5/16 × 15 7/8 in. (28.8 × 40.3 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2014
Object Number: 2014.459.2
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Triumph of Modern Art, Jean Barbault French, Etching — The Triumph of Modern Art
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The Excavation of an Obelisk from the Campo Marzo, Jean Barbault French, Etching — The Excavation of an Obelisk from the Campo Marzo
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Vignette with allegorical female figure and four putti supporting a shield, from the dedication to Jean François Joseph de Rochechouart, from Les Plus Beaux Monuments de Rome Ancienne ou Recueil des plus beaux Morceaux de l'Antiquité Romaine qui existent encore

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Title page vignette with putti measuring and sketching Roman monuments, from Les Plus Beaux Monuments de Rome Ancienne ou Recueil des plus beaux Morceaux de l'Antiquité Romaine qui existent encore

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View of an excavation, with a group of archaeologists gathered around a fragment in the foreground at left, from Les Plus Beaux Monuments de Rome Ancienne ou Recueil des plus beaux Morceaux de l'Antiquité Romaine qui existent encore

Multiple artists/makers

1761

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