GASPAR VAN WITTEL (Amersfoort 1653-1736 Rome) Veduta di Roma.
Gouache on vellum, 1683. 260x445 mm; 10 1/4x17 1/2 inches. Initialed and dated in gouache, lower left recto.
According to Mina Gregori, in a letter dated March 25, 2010, this is among the most complete gouache views of Rome created by van Wittel, shortly before he turned to more grand panoramas in oil. The view from the west, by way of an imaginary architectural terrace designed by the artist, looks out across much of the city, with St. Peter's and the Trinità dei Monti visible in the center.
Gregori notes that two other gouache, full panoramas of Rome by van Wittel were published by Giuliano Briganti Gaspare van Wittel, Il Pittore di Roma Moderna, 1966; these are now in the Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome, and the collection of the Marchese P. Patrizi, Montoro.
Another van Wittel scholar, who viewed this work in Rome in October, 2011, denies the attribution to van Wittel. She believes the gouache is a pastiche of known examples by van Wittel in the Pitti Palace, Florence, and the Capitoline Museum, Rome.
