Ruins, with a Statue on the Left
ca. 1728
Medium
Pen and brown ink, gray, brown, blue, green and yellow washes
Dimensions
7 1/2 x 10 7/16 in. (19 x 26.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.391
Tags
About this artwork
Giovanni Paolo Panini's 'Ruins, with a Statue on the Left' (circa 1728) exemplifies the artist's mastery of capricci and vedute featuring Roman antiquities. Executed in pen and brown ink with gray, brown, blue, green and yellow washes, this drawing showcases Panini's sophisticated technique combining precise architectural rendering with atmospheric effects. Panini (1691-1765), Italian painter and architect, became Rome's preeminent vedutista, creating both accurate city views and imaginative com...
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Paolo Panini’s *Ruins, with a Statue the Left* (ca. 1728) captures the timeless allure of ancient Rome through the artist’s expert hand. Panini (1691–1765), a leading Italian painter and architect, Rome’s premier *vedutista*, renowned for his *vedute*— cityscapes—and *capricci*, imaginative assemblages of classical ruins. This intimate drawing, from the Robert Lehman Collection at Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 18th-century Enlightenment passion for antiquity, blending documentary accuracy with romantic fantasy. Crafted in pen and brown ink heightened with gray, brown, blue, green, ...
About the Artist
Giovanni Paolo Panini · 1691–1765
Italian painter, Rome. Comment on works: Ruins; Religious; History