Bernardo BELLOTTO
Italian 1720-1780
Ruins of the Forum, Rome
c.1743
oil on canvas
87.0 x 148.0 cm
Felton Bequest 1919
964-3

Bellotto was Canaletto's nephew and pupil and this work by a young Bellotto was once attributed to Canaletto.
The view here of the west-end of the Roman Forum is dominated by the three columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. In the centre right is the facade of the Temple of Saturn, while on the skyline is the Senatorial Palace dominated by Michelagelo's bell tower. The now demolished corner of S. Maria Liberatrice is on the extreme left.
Bellotto has rather poetically contrasted the decay of ancient Rome with the splendour of its Renaissance and Baroque features. Gentlemen on the Grand Tour are seen inspecting and recording the Roman ruins - seen here as something of a playground for the modern man.