Views of Rome: Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana

18 January–18 March 1990

Views of Rome, a collection of drawings and watercolors depicting the Eternal City at different times during its existence, was formed nearly a century ago by Thomas Ashby. After attending Oxford, Ashby established himself in Rome as a classical scholar. For his research, Ashby sought out historical views of Rome; by the time of his death he had amassed a collection of nearly 9000 photographs, 6000 prints, 1000 drawings, and hundreds of manuscripts and maps that allowed him to reconstruct the ancient topography of the city and surrounding countryside. The Vatican Library, recognizing the inestimable value of the Ashby collection, purchased it in its entirety in 1933. Each drawing provides valuable information about the past states of ruins and the layout of the city. Jan Brueghel the Elder describes the imposing galleries of the Colosseum as he saw them in 1593. Jakob Phillipp Hackert takes us from there to the Forum with its cattle grazing among the ruins as they did in the late 18th century. The Constantinian Basilica of St. John Lateran, the mother of all Roman churches, is seen about 1580 before its later and almost total renovation. Claude Lorrain shows the ancient Ponte Sarlario over the Anio in advance of its destruction. These drawings were created for different reasons and they can serve different purposes. For their creators, they were records of sojourns at Rome; for Ashby, they were priceless windows into the past; and for the modern viewer, they reflect the progress of the eternalization of the Eternal City.

Curator: The exhibition was organized jointly by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana. 

The Chicago showing of View of Rome is supported in part by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Government Travel Office of Chicago. Partial funding has been provided by the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum Services. 

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