Hubert Robert

This drawing is typical of Hubert Robert’s classical fantasies, which combine elements from various Roman buildings and ruins. In this scene, fragments of columns and relief sculpture in the foreground suggest a distinctly Italian setting. Likewise, the pyramid, despite the Egyptian statues at its door, resembles in its modest scale the Pyramid of Caius Cestius in Rome, a tribute not to a pharaoh, but to an ancient Roman military commander. The loose classical robes worn by the figures leave the time period unclear. Robert created many large-scale drawings like this, based on studies made in Italy between 1754 and 1765. His works inspired later artists to use Italian architecture and landscape as inspiration for expressing their own moods and fantasies.