The Archaeologist

One of two ovals, The Archaeologist and An Apostle Preaching, both of which came into the Academy’s possession via the Fabio Rosa bequest in 1753. The painter was elected to the Academy in 1719 and became figure of such importance within the institution that, in 1755, he was elected ‘Principe’. This scene portrays an archaeologist, dressed in white, in the act of explaining an ancient relief sculpture to another three men, surrounded by visual references to real monuments. The landscape around them is typically Roman.