The Cleveland Museum of Art
Interior of the Pantheon, Rome
Description
Created as a temple under the Roman emperor Hadrian around the year AD 125, the Pantheon became a Christian church in 609. Significant restoration took place in the early 1700s, a period of renewed attention to early Christian monuments. The site was a major monument of antiquity, an active church, and its portico, visible through the door, held the most important art fair in the city. Panini shows the complexity of this public space by representing foreign tourists, local churchgoers, Roman nobles, and artists mingling under the dome.
Provenance
Tyrwhitt-Drake ("Shardeloes," Amersham, Buckinghamshire, UK) (sold, Christie’s, London, July 25, 1952, no. 148, to Reder); 1952 - Reder; David Koetser (New York, New York); - 1969 Walter P. Chrysler; 1969 - 1974 Eugene V. Thaw (New York, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Dimensions
127 × 97.8 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1974.39
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Giovanni Paolo Panini (Italian, 1691–1765)
European Painting and Sculpture • Italy, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery