Landscape depicting the ruins of the Temple of Vespasian.

Roman Landscape with Cattle and Shepherds, 1676

Oil on canvasexpand_more

The William Hood Dunwoody Fundexpand_more  61.64

Johan Heinrich Roos was well known for his imagery of ruins. He composed this idyllic and romantic setting around the Temple of Vespasian in Rome. The building once stood at the foot of the Tabularium, the record office of ancient Rome, and only its very top is visible in Roos’s painting, the way it appeared before the ruins were excavated in 1811. An Italian peasant woman plays a bagpipe, a child dances with a frolicking dog, livestock lay about contentedly on the rich land—motifs comprising an Arcadian atmosphere, an idealized rural life where the simple is good and the poor are happy.

Explore

Audio

Roos, Roman Landscape (#687)
Details
Title
Roman Landscape with Cattle and Shepherds
Artist Life
1631–1685
Role
Artist
Accession Number
61.64
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

Landscape depicting the ruins of the Temple of Vespasian.