Roman Ruins, Possibly the Colosseum
Object type | Drawing |
Genre | Ruins |
Date | ca. 1593 |
Dimensions | 15.4 x 21.5 cm |
Support | Paper |
Medium | Pen and brown ink with brown wash |
Further inscription | "[]affa" (?), schematic symbol (a crowned sun) |
Our attribution | Jan Brueghel the Elder |
Other authorities | Bailey/Walker cat. #LOND.BM.15 |
Location | London, England |
Collection | British Museum |
Accession numbers | RN SL,5214.146 |
Tags | Ruins, Rome |
External resources | British Museum |
British Museum website: "Formerly described as anonymous by Popham, this drawing was subsequently attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder and Pieter Schoubroeck (by Martin Royalton-Kisch) before being given its present attribution to Jan Breughel the Elder again.
Very similar drawings, showing Roman ruins (possibly showing the Colosseum) and executed in the same loose style and with the same application of the wash, are signed and inscribed by Jan Brueghel. Two sheets in the Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen (inv.nos.3-4) are authentically inscribed "Roma" and "1593" or "1595". A third drawing in the Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin (inv.no.26327, bought at Sotheby's, 26 November 1970) is signed "Brueghel". A drawing by Schoubroeck, signed and dated 1595, in the Fondation Custodia in Paris shows some similarities with these works by Bruegel; see K.G. Boon, 'L'époque de Lucas de Leyde et Pierre Bruegel', exh.cat. Florence-Paris, 1980-1981, cat.no.125 and K.G. Boon, 'The Netherlandish and German Drawings of the XVth and XVIth centuries of the Frits Lugt Collection, Paris, 1992, cat.no.181. Schoubroeck's paintings, however, feature italianised ruined buildings, rather than existing Roman ruins."