Capriccio with ruins of the Roman Forum

Claude Lorrain
France/Italy
1604/05 – 1682

Capriccio with ruins of the Roman Forum
c 1634
oil on canvas
Currently on display, Gallery 12
Place made
Rome
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
79.7 x 118.8 cm
108.0 x 146.5 x 12.0 cm (frame)
Credit line
Gift of the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation assisted by the State Bank of South Australia on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of South Australia 1985
Accession number
857P16
Signature and date
Not signed. Not dated.
Provenance
Albert Sarceni ? ...; Lord Darnley; Christies 1802; possibly Wyn Ellis, sale Christies 1876; Mr Hickey (c. 1949); Colnaghi & Co, London 1985.
Media category
Painting
Collection area
European paintings

  • WALL LABEL: Radical Classical, collection display


    This is not an actual view of the ancient Roman Forum, but an artificial rearrangement of various famous ruins in the vicinity, including the three columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and the Colosseum. Claude used these elements to evoke the Arcadian setting of ancient Latin poems which were widely read and admired in the seventeenth century. This kind of landscape was based on a careful and rational synthesis of land, trees, buildings, figures and the warm, soft light of dawn and sunset. A harmonious vision of Arcadian landscape was Claude’s most important contribution to western art. Indeed he is widely regarded as the father of European landscape painting.


    In order to guard against the many forgeries that began to appear on the market during his lifetime, Claude kept an accurate drawing of each of his paintings in a sketchbook he called the Liber Veritatis. This painting is particularly important because it was the first to be so recorded.


    Tansy Curtin, Curator of International Art, Pre-1980