Cleveland Museum of Art

River Landscape with View of St. Peter's Basilica

Giovanni Francesco GrimaldiLinkedCulture matchlcp-15806080dd68

Date: after 1660
Medium: pen and brown ink over traces of black chalk; framing lines in graphite
Culture: Italy, 17th century
Department: Drawings
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 149358

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

With much of Saint Peter’s Basilica obscured by the energetic lines that form the foliage, the building appears integrated into the landscape in this river scene. What stands out is the massive dome jutting from the tree line. Designed by Michelangelo in 1547, the dome was completed in 1590, after his death. Michelangelo made many contributions to the architecture of Rome, but it was the dome of Saint Peter’s that fundamentally altered the city’s iconic skyline. Although loosely sketched and without fine detail, the dome in this drawing remains immediately recognizable as an emblem of Rome.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Delia E. Holden Fund
Provenance: Richard Cosway, London (according to label from Schaeffer Galleries; Lugt 628-9). William Esdaile, London (Lugt 2617, lower right, inscribed in brown ink); his sale, Christie and Manson, London, Part III, 18-25 June 1840 (according to departmental cataloging sheet). Eric H. L. Sexton (Lugt 2769c, verso, lower right, in violet ink). Mrs. Hanns S. Schaeffer, New York (according to departmental card); [Schaeffer Galleries, New York]

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