Piazza in front of the Pantheon

Bellotto's view of the Piazza in front of the Pantheon from 1769, in the Pushkin Museum, depicts the ancient Roman temple with its surrounding Baroque additions in the mid-eighteenth century. Though Bellotto is primarily known for his Northern European city views, this Roman scene recalls his early training as Canaletto's nephew and student in Venice. The painting captures the Pantheon piazza before the nineteenth-century restorations that altered the building's immediate surroundings.

Bellotto renders the Pantheon's iconic portico and dome with the architectural precision characteristic of his vedute. The warm Roman light and the bustling piazza scene contrast with the cooler palette of his Northern European views.