Research
Ink, wash and gouache on paper laid onto board.
Italian architect and draughtsman Vincenzo Brenna (1747-1820), who was born in Florence to a family of stonemasons and later trained in Rome, is known predominantly for a series of architectural and interior decorative programs he produced in Poland and Russia, which played an important “role in the diffusion of international neoclassicism in Eastern Europe.”
The column dominates the center of the present picture, and is surrounded by various buildings and monuments, most of which are inventions of the artist. Brenna creates more than a mere architectural reconstruction, and brings life to the scene by including groups of Roman soldiers and citizens, congregating throughout the forum.
Full research report available on request.