The Pantheon Seen from the Piazza
1775/80
Medium
black ink and gray wash over graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 15.3 x 21 cm (6 x 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
1998.105.1.kk
Art Historical Context
Step into the sunlit Piazza della Rotonda in Rome with Jacques-Louis David's *The Pantheon Seen from the Piazza* (1775/80), a delicate drawing that captures the young artist's awe for classical antiquity. Created during David's formative years in Italy after winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1774, this work reflects his immersion in Roman architecture. At just 15.3 x 21 cm, it sketches the iconic Pantheon—originally a temple to all gods built by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century—with its grand portico and dome peeking through the bustling square, evoking the timeless grandeur that would...
About the Artist
Jacques-Louis David · 1748–1825
Jacques-Louis David, born on August 30, 1748, in Paris, emerged as the preeminent French painter of Neoclassicism, a movement emphasizing austere lines, moral clarity, and classical antiquity as antidotes to Rococo frivolity. Orphaned young after his father's death in a duel, he was raised by prosperous architect uncles and educated at the Collège des Quatre-Nations. Defying family expectations, D...