Les Soirées de Rome: L'Arc de triomphe

1763–64

Hubert Robert

(French, 1733–1808)

Culture

France, 18th century

Medium

etching

Credit Line

Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund 1930.543

Catalogue raisonné

Baudicour Vol. I.177.8 ; Le Blanc Vol. III.340.8

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Location

Not on view

Description

Derived from his own pen-and-ink drawings, this suite of etchings features fictional characters situated near recognizable buildings and statues in Rome. On the title page, Robert dedicated the suite to Marguerite Le Compte, who visited Rome in 1764 in the company of the wealthy author and art enthusiast Claude Henri Watelet. Both Le Compte and Watelet were amateur etchers, and they socialized with a group that included artists and printmakers centered at the academies in Italy. Robert’s dedication was likely motivated by the hope of future patronage from Le Compte. She may be the generous woman with a hand muff depicted in The Ancient Temple, the fifth scene in this series.