Roman Architectural Ruins with Large Archway
Artist
Marco Ricci
(Italian, 1676 – 1730)
Datec. 1708-10
CultureItalian
MediumGouache over traces of black pen
ClassificationDrawings
ProvenanceWhite Thompson Collection, London, England. (William H. Schab Gallery Inc., New York, New York, July 1979); purchased by the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1979-present.
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 1979
Object numberSN974
Although a number of the ruins included in this architectural scene can by identified (to the right is the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, to the left, the Porta San Pancrazio), this gouache by Marco Ricci belongs to the capriccio genre. Such whimsical pictures were largely a product of the artist's imagination. Ricci was known as a painter, printmaker, and stage designer, and spent considerable time traveling throughout Europe where such Italian architectural fantasies were in large demand. He may have drawn this architectural capriccio for one of his foreign patrons. Subtle tonal variations give form and density to the buildings, all but erasing the need for outlining, while the vibrant color of the gouache gives the surface a smooth, almost glossy texture. Even the smallest details, such as the fluted columns and classical frieze, are delineated by color rather than line.
On View
Not on viewFRAMED: 22 3/4 x 18 3/4 in. (57.8 x 47.6 cm)
18th century
