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Ruins and Figures, Outskirts of Rome near the Tomb of Cecilia Metella
Bernardo Bellotto·1762
Historical Context
Ruins and Figures near the Tomb of Cecilia Metella from 1762 depicts the famous ancient Roman monument on the Via Appia Antica. Bellotto may have painted this from earlier Italian studies, as he was working in Vienna by this date. The Roman campagna dotted with ancient ruins was one of the quintessential subjects of European landscape painting. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays crystalline architectural precision with stronger contrast and cooler color than Canaletto, documentary accuracy in rendering cities of Dresden, Vienna, Warsaw, and Munich.
Technical Analysis
The ancient ruins are rendered with archaeological precision, the weathered stone and overgrown masonry documented with the same care Bellotto devoted to intact contemporary architecture.
