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THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

ROME, A VIEW OF THE COLOSSEUM AND THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE, WITH AN ARTIST SKETCHING IN THE RIGHT FOREGROUND

measurements note
98.8 by 149.1 cm.; 39 by 58 3/4 in.

oil on canvas

NOTE

The unusual subject of this painting stands this work apart from Joli's other views of Rome: only two other versions of this composition are known by the artist.¹ An autograph replica of the right section of the composition was in the collection of the Earl of Harewood and another, of inferior quality and therefore probably with some studio participation, was offered in these Rooms on 22 April 2004, lot 125.² This scenographic view of the Colosseum would have appealed to an English clientele and Joli may have painted it during his English sojourn, between 1744 and 1748. The topographical accuracy of the buildings depicted would suggest that Joli composed the view using earlier drawings executed in situ whilst in Rome, where he is documented as a member of the Accademia di San Luca in 1719.

The main subject of this painting is the Flavian amphitheatre or Colosseum, as it has come to be known since medieval times due to its colossal dimensions. The largest surviving monument from Roman times, it was begun by Vespasian in 72 A.D. and was completed by Titus eight years later. The inauguration ceremony, during which hundreds of gladiators and thousands of animals died, apparently lasted 100 days. Over the centuries the structure fell into disrepair, after being struck by lightning and hit by earthquakes. From the 15th century the Colosseum was regularly pillaged and its travertine used to construct other buildings in Rome, such as Palazzo Venezia, the Cancelleria, Saint Peter's Basilica, and the Porto di Ripetta (in the case of the last of these, three whole arches were used after an earthquake of 1703 caused them to fall). It was not until Pope Benedict XIV declared the monument sacred in the mid-18th century, that the pillaging ceased and the Colosseum retained its appearance: indeed its form in Joli's painting is very close to that which it has today, over 150 years later. To the right of the Colosseum lies the Arch of Constantine, dedicated to the Romans by the Senate in 315 A.D. to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius in the battle of the Milvian bridge. Unlike the Colosseum, it did not suffer at the hands of over-zealous architects in the previous centuries and was restored in the 1700s, making it one of the best-preserved monuments of ancient Rome.

1. One sold, New York, Christie's, 24 January 2003, lot 57, where erroneously described as by Hendrik Frans van Lint; the other sold, London, Sotheby's, 8 December 2004, lot 52.
2. The Harewood picture was sold, London, Christie's, 2 July 1965, lot 92.