Giovanni Paolo Panini
As summer is in full swing, we hope you spend your time properly ... in cold, air-conditioned museums, appreciating art!
Like the characters presented in today's painting. Modern Rome is a masterpiece of some serious function. Commissioned by the French comte de Stainville—later the duc de Choiseul—who served as ambassador to Rome from 1753 to 1757 the artwork is a fantasy (the depicted place never existed), a visual art guidebook to Rome. The comte is shown seated in an armchair surrounded by famous artworks, including Michelangelo’s Moses and sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Such paintings were capturing some of the city's most iconic monuments, and like lavish postcards, they offered a condensed visual tour of must-see landmarks.
Do you recognize any of the famous artworks and monuments from Rome?
P.S. This is not the only example in art history when artists depicted other artworks in their paintings. We've collected some them. Can you recognize them in our Painting Within a Painting QUIZ?
P.P.S. If you are still a little bit intimidated by museums, check out our free online guide on How to Look at Art. :)