Plate 4: remains of a classical monument to right surmounted by a mask and tablet, a figure sitting on the porch, four figures on a staircase to left, four milestones below, from "Les soirées de Rome"
1763
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 1/2 × 3 13/16 in. (13.9 × 9.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.41.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Hubert Robert, the 18th-century French artist often called "Robert des Ru" for his evocative depictions of ancient architecture, created this etching in 1763 as *Plate 4* from series *Les soirées Rome* ("Evenings in Rome"). During his nearly decade-long stay in Italy (1754–1765), Robert immersed himself in grandeur of Roman antiquities, blending real ruins with imaginative vignettes. This small-scale print (5½ × 3⅞ in.) captures the Romantic fascination with decay and timeless beauty, evoking moonlit soirées amid classical remnants. The composition features the weathered remains of a classica...
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....