A View of Trajan's Forum, Rome

Charles Lock Eastlake painted A View of Trajan's Forum in Rome in 1821 during his extended Italian residency, capturing one of the most evocative archaeological sites in the eternal city. Eastlake settled in Rome from 1816 to 1830, producing Italianate genre scenes and landscapes that established his reputation in Britain. The Forum of Trajan, excavated progressively since the late eighteenth century, represented the Roman imperial achievement at its height — the column of Trajan rising above fragments of the basilica Ulpia. Eastlake approached ancient Rome with the Romantic sensibility of a man for whom the past was permanently present.

Eastlake's careful topographical rendering of the Roman ruins is illuminated by the warm Italian light that captivated northern European artists. The painting combines archaeological accuracy with an atmospheric quality that reflects the Romantic sensibility of the period.