Interior of Saint Peter's
ca. 1758
Medium
Pen and black ink over blue, green, and rose watercolor, gray and brown wash with red chalk underdrawing.
Dimensions
16 3/16 x 12 5/8 in. (41.1 x 32.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.694
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the awe-inspiring vastness of Saint Peter's Basilica Hubert Robert's *Interior of Saint Peter's* (ca. 1758), a masterful drawing that captures the basilica's soaring architecture and sculptural splendor. French artist Hubert Robert, often called "Robert desines," created this during his formative years in Rome (1755–1765), where he immersed himself in the city's ancient and Baroque wonders as a Prix de Rome winner. His neoclassical style, blending precise observation with imaginative flair, transforms the Vatican's iconic interior—pilasters, domes, and monumental sculptures—into a lu...
About the Artist
Hubert Robert · 1733–1808
Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....