Antonio Joli, Views of Rome Landscape, 1740, Oil on Canvas

Antonio Joli (Modena, 1700 – Naples, 1777)

Pair of Views
1. View of Rome with Trajan's Column and the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary
2. View of Rome (Piazza Colonna) with the Antonine Column, Palazzo Chigi, and Via del Corso

Oil on canvas (41 x 31 cm - Framed 53 x 43 cm)

The two views of Rome presented are based on an invention created around 1740 by the engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Mogliano Veneto, 1720 – Rome, 1778), who had always been fascinated by the antiquities of the Eternal City. They are drawn from the collection entitled "Architecture and Perspectives," which included 135 views of Roman antiquities.

This collection of panels depicting classical ruins and ancient monuments earned him great fame, thanks above all to the consistently original and perspective-captivating compositions and the unpredictable choice of subjects.

In our case, we have Trajan's Column, erected to celebrate the Roman conquest of Dacia (present-day Romania) by Emperor Trajan, whose key moments are evoked in its sculptural decoration. The monument is immortalized from the side of Trajan's Forum, with the great dome of the Church of the Name of Mary and Palazzo Bonelli behind it.

The second depicts the Column of Marcus Aurelius, an ancient monument erected to celebrate the victories of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) over the Danube peoples during the Marcomannic Wars. Still in its original location, it gave its name to the current square in which it stands, Piazza Colonna, with Palazzo Chigi behind it.

Paintings such as these originally arose as a kind of souvenir, intended especially for British travelers arriving in Italy on their Grand Tour, fulfilling the picturesque expectations of tourists staying in the Eternal City.

The artist of our pair of paintings, which represent a transposition of his creations onto canvas, was certainly a distinguished painter active in Rome in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Painted around the 1760s, they can be attributed to Antonio Joli (Modena 1700 – Naples 1777), presumably with contributions from his workshop.

Originally from Modena, he moved to Rome in 1720, where he trained under Giovanni Paolo Pannini from Piacenza. Based on his repertoire, which frequently features Roman views of Rome's most popular squares, the Tiber River, and the Roman Forum, we know he could not ignore the illustrious work of the Venetian Giovan Battista Piranesi. These views are distinguished by a marked sobriety in their color choices and an emphasis on architectural elements, often animated by small groups of figures.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The works are sold complete with two contemporary antique frames and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic.