Houses on the North Side of the Forum with the Basilica of Maxentius Beyond
1746/1749
Medium
black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 13 x 18.5 cm (5 1/8 x 7 5/16 in.) page size: 42.5 x 27.7 cm (16 3/4 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection
Accession Number
1983.49.189
Art Historical Context
Joseph-Marie Vien created this intimate black chalk drawing between 1746 and 1749, capturing a view across Rome’s ancient Forum. The scene focuses on weathered houses lining the north side, with the massive ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius rising in the distance. Executed on a modest sheet of laid paper measuring just 13 by 18.5 centimeters, the work belongs to the National Gallery of Art’s Mark J. Millard Architectural Collection, where it serves as a record of eighteenth-century artists’ fascination with classical remains. Vien’s choice of black chalk allowed for both precise architectura...
About the Artist
Joseph-Marie Vien · 1716–1809
Joseph-Marie Vien (1716–1809) was born on 18 June in Montpellier, France, into a modest family, emerging as a child prodigy in painting. As a protégé of the Comte de Caylus, he entered the studio of Charles-Joseph Natoire at an early age, honing his skills in history painting. Winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1743, Vien traveled to Italy in 1744, spending six formative years in Rome studyin...