Artwork

Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins

Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins, by Cornelius van Poelenburgh, oil, 1620
Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins, by Cornelius van Poelenburgh, oil, 1620

Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Cornelius van Poelenburgh. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

About this work

Overview

Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins is a 1620 painting on copper by Cornelius van Poelenburgh, a Dutch artist based in Rome during the early 17th century. It exemplifies the early Baroque Italian movement, presenting an imaginary Roman landscape incorporating ancient ruins.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a serene, imagined Roman landscape where crumbling stone walls, towers, and a winding river coexist with a peaceful countryside. Figures of people and animals are subtly integrated into the scene, highlighting the everyday amidst antiquity.

Technique & Style

Van Poelenburgh employed soft, pale lighting to render the ruins both substantial and ethereal. The blended shadows and the serene sky contribute to a depth that draws the viewer into the landscape, characteristic of his small-scale, detailed Italianate works.

History & Provenance

Created in 1620, the painting is part of the collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. As a leading Dutch painter in early 17th-century Rome, Van Poelenburgh's work reflects his influence within the first generation of Dutch artists in Italy.

Context

This work reflects the artistic trends of the early Baroque in Italy, where Dutch painters like Van Poelenburgh were drawn to depicting Italian landscapes, often blending antiquity with contemporary life in intricate, small-scale compositions.

Legacy

While specific legacy details of *Capriccio Roman landscape with ruins* are not highlighted, Van Poelenburgh's contributions to the development of Dutch-Italianate landscape painting in the Baroque period remain significant.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Cornelius van Poelenburgh

Artist

Cornelius van Poelenburgh

Cornelis van Poelenburgh or Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594 – 12 August 1667), was a Dutch landscape painter and draughtsman.