(Rome 1723–1790)
The Arch of Constantine; and
The Pantheon,
oil on canvas, each 49 x 66 cm, a pair (2)

Provenance:
Alemagna collection, Bergamo;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Dario Succi for suggesting the attribution of the present works.

This pair of unpublished views representing the Pantheon and the Arch of Constantine in Rome form an addition to the known works by Giacomo van Lint, the son of Hendrik van Lint, called lo Studio (1684–1763). They display a refined palette and can be dated, according to Succi, to the 1760s.

The view of Piazza del Pantheon (also called della Rotonda) of which there are no known paintings by Hendrik van Lint, was represented on one other occasion by Giacomo, on a smaller scale (30 x 45 cm) and published by Busiri Vici (op.cit. Busiri Vici 1987, p. 277). This differs from the present painting in the view point being pushed further back and over to the left, while the work here under discussion, which is more finished, displays particular attention to the architectural details, and is animated by small, expressive figures, known as macchiette.

The Arch of Constantine was represented in two other paintings by Giacomo van Lint, both are oval in format and smaller (28 x 21 cm) and taken from similar view points (see op.cit. Busiri Vici 1987, pp. 300, 302). The arch of Constantine is located on the south west side of the Colosseum, positioned to mark the beginning of the ancient via dei Trionfi or the Triumphal Way.

According to Busiri Vici, it is evident from the corpus of Giacomo van Lint that, despite following the style and type of painting developed by his father with whom he trained, he did endeavour to assert his own identity (see A. Busiri Vici, Peter, Hendrik e Giacomo van Lint, Rome 1987, pp. 272-273).