Rome, St Peter's and Castel St Angelo

Rome, St Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo from around 1830 by David Roberts captures two of Rome's most iconic landmarks. The combination of Michelangelo's dome and the ancient papal fortress created one of the most celebrated prospects in European art. Roberts built up his architectural subjects with careful pencil underdrawing before applying watercolor or oil washes, combining the documentary precision of a trained scene painter with genuine artistic sensitivity to light and atmosphere.

The Roman monuments are rendered with Roberts's precise architectural observation, the warm Italian light adding atmospheric richness.