Giovanni Paolo Panini, Roma Antica, ca. 1754–57

Part of a series of paintings, this work was a commission by Count de Stainville (1719–1785), the French envoy to the papal court. It is the direct counterpart of Giovanni Paolo Panini's (1691–1765) Roma moderna which depicts modern buildings and sculptures in Rome while this painting shows examples of ancient monuments and artworks. Towards the centre of the lower half of the painting a group of artists is exploring the ancient painting relic of the Aldobrandine Wedding. This representation reflects the academic debate about the heritage of Antiquity that was taking place throughout Europe at that time. 

Roma Antica, oil on canvas, 169 cm x 227 cm, ca. 1754–57, artist: Giovanni Paolo Panini; source: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, https://www.staatsgalerie.de/g/sammlung/sammlung-digital/einzelansicht/sgs/werk/einzelansicht/20965FCD40524A159D03D9AC28841490.html, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.