Late 18th-century Drawing: Landscape Of Ruins On The Foothills Of A City

Late 18th-century painters were fascinated by the romantic poetry emanating from Roman and medieval buildings that had withstood the ravages of time and humankind, veritable metaphors for the human condition. The journey to Rome, the center of all artistic knowledge, offered the opportunity to encounter these monumental ruins, frozen in time at the city gates. This is what the artist must have felt when he depicted these powerful walls, still encircling a city on a hilltop. One can still appreciate the monumentality of this building, slowly crumbling away. Masterfully executed in ink wash at the end of the 18th century, and originally mounted on a watercolor wash mat, it has been framed in a sturdy, period-correct frame, lending it a distinctly authentic character. There are a few stains that could be cleaned by a conservator; otherwise, the drawing is easily legible.