The Arch of Titus and the Forum, Rome

French Painter

ca. 1824–35 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

This unfinished painting was made soon after the restoration of the Arch of Titus was completed, in 1824. The artist, who remains unidentified, differentiated between the white travertine used for the newly carved sections and the original Pentelic marble. Owing to its combination of sketchiness and naturalism, the work appears to—and might have—been painted out of doors. That would mark it as somewhat exceptional, given that it is painted on canvas (rather than paper) and is unusually large for a plein-air painting.

Artist

French Painter

Date

ca. 1824–35

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

The Whitney Collection, Promised Gift of Wheelock Whitney III, and Purchase, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. McVeigh, by exchange, 2003