Drawing Of Roman Ruins, Late 18th–early 19th Century

"View of the Temple of the Sun and the Moon."
Unsigned ink and wash drawing on framed paper.
Beautiful 19th-century frame made of solid wood and veneer. 
French work, likely created as part of the Grand Tour, 18th or early 19th century.
Dimensions of the artwork: 18.5 x 13 cm.

Behind the traditional and romantic 18th- and early 19th-century name “Temple of the Sun and the Moon” actually refers to the Temple of Venus and Rome (more precisely, the apse of one of its cellae, located near the Colosseum).

Grand Tour travelers and artists of the time often mistakenly identified the monumental ruins of ancient Rome by poetic or fanciful names. The immense arched apse with visible coffered panels visible in the drawing corresponds well to the monumental architecture of this temple erected by Emperor Hadrian on the Via Sacra, with the bell tower of the adjacent church of Santa Francesca Romana (or Santa Maria Nova) rising above the structure.
The view is taken from the vicinity of the Colosseum, a classic panorama highly prized by landscape artists and topographers of the time.