About this artwork
In Italy Carnival is held annually in the days before Lent. Allan made a series of large drawings recording the various festivities in Rome. Here he depicts the opening of the Carnival, with masked revellers, dancers, musicians and tourists gathered in one of the city’s main squares. The background architecture is shown in reverse, as Allan intended the drawing to be reproduced as a print. The full set of Allan’s Carnival drawings is now in the Royal Collection. This drawing was probably produced specially for a patron.
Published October 2023
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artist:David Allan (1744 - 1796) Scottish
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title:The Carnival at Rome: The Piazza del Popolo
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date created:About 1775
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materials:Pen and ink and brown and grey wash on paper
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 2016
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accession number:D 5673
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gallery:
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subject:
David Allan
David Allan
Allan was born in Alloa, on the River Forth, and attended the Foulis Academy in Glasgow for seven years. In 1767 he moved to Rome, where he lived for ten years; this was the most successful period of his life. In Rome, Allan painted ambitious historical pictures, portraits, caricatures and genre...
