Colosseum
early 17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brown wash.
Dimensions
10 1/2 x 7 5/8 in. (26.7 x 19.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1961
Accession Number
61.2.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Bartholomeus Breen, a Dutch artist active during the early 17th century, captures the majestic ruins of Rome's Colosseum in this delicate drawing. Created during or shortly after his formative years in Italy (around 1619–1626), the work reflects the fascination of Northern European artists with ancient Roman architecture. Breenbergh, part of the Dutch Golden Age's Italianate tradition, specialized in landscapes and architectural vedute, often sketching directly from life to evoke the grandeur and melancholy of antiquity. Rendered in pen and brown ink with brown wash on a modest 10 1/2 x 7 5/8...
About the Artist
Bartholomeus Breenbergh
Probably was apprenticed in Amsterdam. He was one of the early Dutch italianates, that is, northern artists who travelled to Italy in the 1620s and were inspired by southern landscapes. On his return, he settled in Amsterdam and his landscapes were developed as more severe and monumental, often with historical subjects; strongly influenced by the Pre-Rembrandtists. Comment on works: Landscapes; Ru...