The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

The Grotto of Posillipo

The Grotto of Posillipo

c. 1769
(French, 1733–1808)
France, 18th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 56 x 47.5 x 6 cm (22 1/16 x 18 11/16 x 2 3/8 in.); Unframed: 42.6 x 33.4 cm (16 3/4 x 13 1/8 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1976.97.2
Location: 202 French Neoclassical Decorative Arts

Description

Hubert Robert studied and worked in Italy from 1754–65. Upon returning to Paris, he entered the Royal Academy as an architectural painter and full member in 1766. His time in Italy would prove to be influential and classical architectural subjects would dominate his subsequent oeuvre. Interior of the Colonnade of St. Peter's is based on a drawing dated 1758, the same year that Pope Clement XIII Rezzonico was elected. Given his interest in classical subjects, Robert has antiquated his subject by aging the condition of the columns and including a soldier dressed in ancient Roman armor. Similarly, Robert imaginatively portrays the Grotto of Posillipo. Measuring over 2000 feet in length, this tunnel was carved from the volcanic rock by ancient Romans to connect Naples with Pozzuoli. While this passageway was improved by repaving and reinforcing the arches during the reign of Charles III of Naples (1734–59), this structure was never the grand tunnel Robert depicts with coffered vaults and engaged columns.
  • Denis-Pierre Papillon de la Ferte
    Marius Paulme (sold, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, November 22, 1923, nos. 76 and 77, to Henri Boudonneau)
    Henri Boudonneau, Paris, until 1949
    Rene Boudonneau (son of Henri), until 1961
    Mme S. A. Boudonneau (wife of Rene), Geneva (sold, Christie's, London, December 13, 1974, no. 146 [pair], to Gallerie Cailleux)
    Gallerie Cailleux, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 3. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: cat. 53B, p. 128 - 131
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 187 archive.org
  • CMA February 1977: "Year in Review," cat., Bull., LXIV (Feb. 1977), p. 49, nos 41 and 42, illus.
    Paris, Galerie Cailleux, 1975: "Eloge de l'ovale," cat. nos. 26 and 27, repr.
    Paris, Salon of 1769, ns. 95 and 96.
    Paris, Galerie Charpentier, June 1922: :Hubert Robert et Louis Moreau," cat. nos. 31 and 32.
  • {{cite web|title=The Grotto of Posillipo|url=false|author=Hubert Robert|year=c. 1769|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1976.97.2