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River Landscape with View of St. Peter's Basilica

Giovanni Francesco Grimaldiafter 1660

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

With much of Saint Peter’s Basilica obscured by the energetic lines that form the foliage, the building appears integrated into the landscape in this river scene. What stands out is the massive dome jutting from the tree line. Designed by Michelangelo in 1547, the dome was completed in 1590, after his death. Michelangelo made many contributions to the architecture of Rome, but it was the dome of Saint Peter’s that fundamentally altered the city’s iconic skyline. Although loosely sketched and without fine detail, the dome in this drawing remains immediately recognizable as an emblem of Rome.

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  • Title: River Landscape with View of St. Peter's Basilica
  • Creator: Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (Italian, 1606-1680)
  • Date Created: after 1660
  • Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 11.4 x 26.5 cm (4 1/2 x 10 7/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Richard Cosway, London (according to label from Schaeffer Galleries; Lugt 628-9). William Esdaile, London (Lugt 2617, lower right, inscribed in brown ink); his sale, Christie and Manson, London, Part III, 18-25 June 1840 (according to departmental cataloging sheet). Eric H. L. Sexton (Lugt 2769c, verso, lower right, in violet ink). Mrs. Hanns S. Schaeffer, New York (according to departmental card); [Schaeffer Galleries, New York]
  • Type: Drawing
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1978.21
  • Medium: pen and brown ink over traces of black chalk; framing lines in graphite
  • Department: Drawings
  • Culture: Italy, 17th century
  • Credit Line: Delia E. Holden Fund
  • Collection: DR - Italian
  • Accession Number: 1978.21
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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