View of the Capitoline Hill in Rome

About this artwork

black chalk, with two shades of greyish-brown wash; framing line in black ink (partially trimmed)

Art Historical Context

Step into the bustling heart of ancient Rome with *View of the Capitoline in Rome*, a captivating drawing by Dutch artist Jan Asselijn, around 1636–1640. Asselijn, a key figure in the Dutch Golden Age, journeyed to Italy in the mid-1630s, immersing himself in the dramatic landscapes and classical ruins that inspired his Italianate style. This work captures the iconic Capitoline—one of Rome's seven hills and home to Michelangelo's Renaissance piazza—offering visitors a window into the city's enduring grandeur during the Baroque era. Executed in black chalk heightened with two shades of greyish...

About the Artist

Jan Asselijn · 1610–1652

Jan Asselijn (c. 1610–1652), born Jean Asselin in Dieppe, France, to a Huguenot family, emerged as a leading figure in Dutch Golden Age landscape painting. His family relocated to Amsterdam around 1621, where he began his artistic training. He received instruction from Esaias van de Velde, a pioneering realist landscapist, and later studied with Jan Martszen the Younger, Esaias's nephew, producing...