The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2026

A vertically oriented etching in black ink depicts a weathered stone monument overgrown with vines and topped by a decorative urn featuring a carved face. The stone surface features serif text beginning with "LES SOIRÉES DE ROME." To the right, a broken column segment lies among foliage. Dense trees frame the central structure against a cloudy sky. Fine cursive script is etched into the margin below the composition.

Title Page

1763–64

Hubert Robert

(French, 1733–1808)
France, 18th century
etching
Charles W. Harkness Endowment Fund 1930.546
Catalogue raisonné: Baudicour Vol. I.173.1 ; Le Blanc Vol. III.340.1
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.
  • Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).
  • {{cite web|title=Title Page|url=false|author=Hubert Robert|year=1763–64|access-date=18 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.546