Imaginary Landscape with Classical Ruins
1700–50
Medium
Point of a brush and gray wash, over graphite; framing lines in pen and brown ink and bronze paint
Dimensions
5 11/16 x 5 11/16in. (14.5 x 14.5cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Leo Steinberg, 1992
Accession Number
1992.228.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of *Imaginary Landscape with Classical Ru* by Carlo Fantaccini, a drawing from around 1700–1750. This square composition, measuring just 5 11/16 x 5 11/16 inches, captures an invented vista of crumbling ancient structures overgrown with foliage, evoking the Romantic allure of antiquity. Fantaccini, an Italian artist of the early 18th century, into the era's fascination with classical ruins—a hallmark of the Grand Tour, where travelers sketched Rome's remnants to celebrate the grandeur of the past amid nature's gentle reclaim. Crafted with meticulous technique, th...