Capriccio with ruins of the Roman Forum
France/Italy
1604/05 – 1682
Capriccio with ruins of the Roman Forum
c.1634
oil on canvas
- Place made
- Rome
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
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79.7 x 118.8 cm
108.0 x 146.5 x 12.0 cm (frame) - Credit line
- Gift of the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation assisted by the State Bank of South Australia on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of South Australia 1985
- Accession number
- 857P16
- Signature and date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Provenance
- Albert Sarceni ? ...; Lord Darnley; Christies 1802; possibly Wyn Ellis, sale Christies 1876; Mr Hickey (c. 1949); Colnaghi & Co, London 1985.
- Media category
- Painting
- Collection area
- European paintings
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WALL LABEL: Radical Classical, collection display
This is not an actual view of the ancient Roman Forum, but an artificial rearrangement of various famous ruins in the vicinity, including the three columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and the Colosseum. Claude used these elements to evoke the Arcadian setting of ancient Latin poems which were widely read and admired in the seventeenth century. This kind of landscape was based on a careful and rational synthesis of land, trees, buildings, figures and the warm, soft light of dawn and sunset. A harmonious vision of Arcadian landscape was Claude’s most important contribution to western art. Indeed he is widely regarded as the father of European landscape painting.
In order to guard against the many forgeries that began to appear on the market during his lifetime, Claude kept an accurate drawing of each of his paintings in a sketchbook he called the Liber Veritatis. This painting is particularly important because it was the first to be so recorded.
Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art, Pre-1980
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In this capriccio, or imaginary landscape, Claude uses the setting of the Roman Forum to create a utopian vision of nature, evoking the pastoral ideals of ancient Latin and Renaissance poets. Figures in contemporary dress go about their daily lives with quiet dignity amid the ruins of imperial Rome, which include the three surviving columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and the Colosseum.
This kind of landscape was based on a careful and rational synthesis of land, trees, buildings, figures and the warm, soft light of dawn or sunset. A harmonious vision of an Arcadian landscape was Claude’s most important contribution to European art.
Indeed, he is widely regarded as the father of European landscape painting, and his enchanted vision of nature – its harmony, structure, light and mood – dominated the way in which the landscape was represented until the nineteenth century.
Although born in the duchy of Lorraine in northeastern France, Claude spent much of his life in Italy. In order to guard against the many forgeries that began to appear on the market during his lifetime, Claude kept an accurate drawing of each of his paintings in a sketchbook he called the Liber Veritatis. This painting is of particular interest because it was the first that Claude so recorded.
Tony Magnusson, Curator of European Art, 2016–18
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Making Nature: Masters of European Landscape Art
Art Gallery of South Australia, 26 June 2009 – 6 September 2009
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[Book] AGSA 500.