Updated 17 April 2025
On Display Special Exhibition Wing
On Display
Special Exhibition Wing
Imaginary View of Rome with Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Column of Trajan and a Temple
| Date | 1786 |
|---|---|
| Materials and Techniques | oil on canvas |
| Size（cm） | 161 x 107 |
| Inscriptions | Signed and dated lower center on bowl: H. ROBERT. PINXIT ANNO 1786 |
| Credit Line | Purchased |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1976-0002 |
The French artist Hubert Robert, dubbed "Robert of the Ruins" by his contemporaries, excelled at creating fantastical landscapes incorporating motifs of ancient ruins and popular sites in Italy. This pair of paintings was executed at the height of his success following his return to France. Robert has created the imaginary scenes by freely selecting well-known Roman monuments and buildings. The image on the right includes the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and the Column of Trajan; its companion piece on the left features the shaded façade of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. (Source: Gallery label, July 2016)
Provenance
Comte Lazareff; St. Petersburg; Princess Curousoff; Princess Paley, femme du Grand Duc Paul, Tsarskoe Seloe, St. Petersburg; V., Christie, Mnson & Woods, London, 21juin 1929, 40; Jacques Seligmann, Paris, 1926; Landon K. Throne, New York, 1931; Eugène Victor Thaw, New York; Xavier Fourcade, New York; Artemis, Bruxelles; Purchased by the NMWA, 1976.
Exhibition History
- 1978
- European Landscape Painting, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, 3 November 1978 - 15 January 1979, cat. no. 35
- 1997
- Resonating Love and Life: European Art from National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Nagaoka, 12 April 1997 - 18 May 1997, cat. no. 14
- 2012
- Hubert Robert: Les jardins du Temps, The National Museum of Western Art , 6 March 2012 - 20 May 2012, cat. no. 99
- 2018
- [Prints and Drawings Exhibition] Views of Rome: Transition in Images and Media, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Prints and Drawings Gallery, 16 October 2018 - 20 January 2019, cat. no. 10
Bibliography
- 1929
- Catalogue of Ancient and Modern Pictures & Drawings formed by Her Highness Princess Paley. Christie, Manson, & Woods, London, 1929, repr, no. 40.
- 1976
- Artemis 1970-76 (A selection of works of art sold to private and public collections since 1970). 1976, col. repr. [cat no. 10]
- 1977
- Koshi, Koichi. Sekai no Meiga. No. 2, Tokyo, 1977, p. 101, col. repr.
- 1978
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1978 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 24, repr.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 243, repr.
- 1979
- Annual Bulletin of the National Museum of Western Art. No. 11 (1976), 1979, Koshi, Koichi. New acquisitions 1976 (Painting). pp. 12-14, New acquisitions (Catalogue). pp. 18-19, repr.
- 1999
- Hubert Robert (1733-1808) et Saint-Pétersbourg: Les commandes de la famille impériale et des princes russes entre 1773 et 1802 (exh. cat.). Musée de Valence, 1999, p. 107.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 54, col. repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 54, col. repr.
- 2012
- Hubert Robert: Les jardins du Temps (exh. cat.). The National Museum of Western Art; Fukuoka Art Museum; Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art; The Tokyo Shimbun, eds. [Tokyo/ Fukuoka/ Shizuoka], The National Museum of Western Art; Western Art Foundation; Fukuoka Art Museum; Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art; The Tokyo Shimbun, 2012, pp. 200-201, 203, 308, cat. no. 99, col. repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 69, col. repr.