(Antwerp 1628–1684)
An imaginary landscape near Rome with the Tomb of the Plautii in the left foreground and the Milvian Bridge in the background,
signed lower left and with an inscription: [...] Antiche e moderne vedute di Roma JB Wans,
oil on canvas, 126 x 171 cm, framed

In the inscription on the reserve on the present painting, the artist expresses his intention to depict views of classical and modern buildings in Rome. Although the column located in the left middleground can be identified as Trajan’s column, the composition is aimed at a decorative arrangement rather than a topographically exact reproduction of the Roman Campagna. The circular structure represents the Tomb of the Plautii, located in the immediate vicinity of Ponte Lucano across the Anio River and reproduced by many Netherlandish painters from Dujardin to Moucheron. In front of the bridge appears the Osteria di Ponte Lucano. The column is to be understood as a decorative compositional element. The bridge in the background can be identified as the Milvian Bridge. Principally pursuing the idea of a landscape and architectural capriccio, Wans decoratively combined these monuments while integrating them into an impressive landscape. Whereas the background scenery resembles the Alban Hills, the waterfalls in the right foreground seem to be a free interpretation of the Tivoli falls.

There is no proof that Wans ever sojourned in Italy. Having been apprenticed to Frans van Oosten, he was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1657. On the occasion of his admission, he presented the guild with a large landscape that has not yet been identified, but which may well have been the present composition. The present work, with its ambitious composition, is an interesting addition to the artist’s oeuvre.