Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. - I Fori imperiali romani (the Roman imperial fora)

This work, alongside two other frescoes, Carovana ai piedi della sfinge [“Caravan at the Foot of the Sphinx”] and Tramonto sulla pianura di Tebe [“Sunset over the Plains of Thebes”], were the product of adventures from the artist’s life. When Ippolito Caffi returned to Venice in around 1858, after a decade away, he took up residence in a home in Calle del Selvadego (Procuratie Vecchie), where he created the three frescoes. In truth, the definition “fresco” is only partially accurate in this case, as these works were not done in the typical fresco style. They were done in a style known as stereochromy, or mineral painting, an innovative technique developed in mid-1840s Germany. After Generali purchased the house, the works were carefully removed and transferred to canvas in 1956.