A view of the Vatican, Rome, with the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, from the Janiculum

This rare and unpublished view of the Vatican by Isaac de Moucheron is one of only eight known paintings of Rome by the artist, including another view of Saint Peter's, four views along the banks of the Tiber and two panoramic views of the city (N. Wedde, Isaac de Moucheron (1667-1744), Frankfurt am Main, 1996, pp. 429-31, nos. P1-P7). De Moucheron was in Italy between c. 1695 and c. 1697, after his apprenticeship in Amsterdam with his father, Frederik. He worked mainly in Rome, specialising in vedute, which show the influence of his countryman, Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli, who was first recorded in Rome in 1675. De Moucheron made numerous en plein air sketches during his stay in Rome. He later worked these up into finished, signed drawings, which he used in preparation for his paintings. Both an 'in situ' sketch of the Vatican from this angle (but taken from a greater distance) and a worked up drawing of almost the same design as this painting survive (ibid., p. 226, no. D16 and p. 223, no. D10 respectively; see fig. 1). The worked up drawing has been dated by Zwollo to c. 1708 on the basis of stylistic comparison with a dated drawing in Otterlo, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Möller (A. Zwollo, Hollandse en Vlaamse veduteschilders te Rome (1675-1725), Assen, 1973, p. 47).