Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)

Roman Landscape with a Gatehouse

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About this artwork

Claude lived in Italy from around 1617-18 until his death. This study, perhaps begun out of doors and finished in the studio, is typical of his early drawings indebted to the example of Dutch artists working in Rome. It depicts one of the ancient gates in the walls of the city, perhaps the Porta Salaria. The subject was probably chosen because it was picturesque, a partially ruined building between city and country. Such a motif would have been useful to Claude as he devised his imagined recreations of the ancient and biblical worlds.

Updated before 2020

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Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)

Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)