The Colosseum, Rome, with the Arch of Constantine and figures in the foreground; and The ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius, Rome, with elegant figures in the foreground

Born in Antwerp, Hendrik Frans van Lint worked under Pieter van Bredael before settling in Rome in 1710, where he established himself as a leading painter of vedute, acquiring the nickname 'Lo Studio'. He played a prominent role in artistic life in Rome, where he lived on the via Babuino, collaborating with eminent artists of the time and becoming a member of the schildersbent, a group of northern painters in the city. He also joined the Congregazione Artistica dei Virtuosi al Pantheon from 1744, before being elected Rector in 1755.
These serene views capture an atmosphere of bucolic ease, with cattle grazing and elegant company conversing, in the shadow of Rome’s iconic ancient monuments: the Colosseum, in early evening sunlight, is seen from the south, from a point near the Celio, with the Arch of Constantine to the left, while the Basilica of Maxentius is seen from a standpoint slightly further northwest, inside the Forum itself.