This view of the Capitol in Rome, with part of the Arch of Septimius Severus in the foreground, is based on the left-hand third of an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78) that was published as part of his Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome) (see source image TG0891). Although the work was long thought to depict Perugia, it faithfully reproduces the view of the Capitol from the south east, showing the mound of earth that in the eighteenth century covered the Temple of Concord, as well as one of the fourteenth-century towers built by Pope Boniface IX (c.1350–1404), with the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli to the right. In the foreground, however, the artist has replaced the free-standing Corinthian column that divides Piranesi’s view with a fragment of the Arch of Septimius Severus, which has been turned at an angle to create an effective frame for the upright image and is consequently now dominated by the medieval tower rather than the ancient arch.

Wholesale changes such as these are comparatively rare in Girtin’s copies after the work of other artists. Although the result is a satisfying if unconventional composition, Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak did not include the watercolour in their catalogue (Girtin and Loshak, 1954), whilst Thomas Girtin thought that it was executed by John Henderson (1764–1843) (Girtin Archive, 14). This too was my opinion when I first examined the drawing; the sharp pen and ink outline and the poor perspective of the arch to the right suggested the work of the amateur. However, a growing familiarity with Girtin’s copies after prints has helped to changed my thoughts, and I would point to details such as the lovely liquid sky and the economical way in which the artist has created a still life of wagon wheels to the left with an economical use of the brush over a dark ground. The inventive adaptation of a unconventional composition from a far from outstanding topographical view also suggests a creativity beyond the capacity of an amateur such as Henderson, and the way that an unpromising fragment of the scene is enhanced through the bold use of light and shade also suggests to me that, on balance, an attribution to Girtin should be reconsidered.

1797 - 1798

Rome: The Capitol from the South East

TG0891