The Campo Vaccino, Rome; and View near the Porta S. Giovanni, Rome (illustrated)

Details

Robert Henry Cheney (1801-1866)
The Campo Vaccino, Rome; and View near the Porta S. Giovanni, Rome (illustrated)
the first inscribed and dated 'Campo Vaccino June 1' (lower right, on the mount); the second inscribed and dated 'near Porta S. Giovanni March 29' (lower right, on the mount)
pencil and watercolour, two on one sheet, unframed
7½ x 10¼ in. (19 x 26 cm.); and smaller (2)

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Lot Essay

The Italian term 'Campo Vaccino' means 'cow field'. It refers to the decline and eventual abandonment of the Roman Forum in the 4th Century when Constantinople succeeded Rome as the capital of the Empire. Gradually, the ancient structures were plundered for their materials and the open areas of the site were quarried for marble. By the middle ages the surrounds of the deserted Forum had become a grazing area for cattle. This was the 'Pastoral Idyll' which inspired generations of artists centuries later. To this day, artists come to pay homage to this ancient icon of civilization.

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