Gaspar van Wittel, Lot n° 334

VIEW OF THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME Oil on canvas. 75 x 102 cm. The antique building reddish in late afternoon light under a blue cloudy sky. In the foreground a procession of pilgrims heading for the entrance, further figures. At the left rear edge of the picture a view of Roman dwellings and other ruined architecture. The stream of pilgrims in the foreground is explained by the fact that as late as the 17th century the Colosseum - formerly the scene of Christian martyrdom - was treated as a place consecrated to the church. The cross and the inscription plate above the entrance correspond to this. (12207443) (11) Gaspar van Wittel, 1653 Amersdorf/ Utrecht - 1736 Rome, attributed VIEW OF THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME Oil on canvas. 75 x 102 cm.