A View in Rome

This painting combines a view of Rome, on the left, with an imaginary ruin, on the right. The distant view is of the sixteenth-century church of Santa Trinità de' Monti, where Claude would be buried. Beside this is the convent of the Sacro Cuore. These buildings are now at the top of the Spanish Steps, which were built during the eighteenth century. Further to the right is the Palazzo Zuccari and on the horizon in the centre is the Quirinal Palace, the Pope’s summer residence.

The foreground scene takes place in front of an ancient temple and a statue of Apollo. The young man in the hat may be giving alms to the peasant woman or paying for the services of the two young girls behind her. These kinds of figures do not appear in other paintings by Claude, so they could have been painted by another artist.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.