Principal Monuments of France (french: Principaux Monuments de la France) is a series of four paintings created by the French artist
Hubert Robert in 1786. They depict the ruins of several Roman structures in
Provence.
Series
The paintings were made using oil on canvas. The subjects are ancient Roman ruins in
Provence in southern France. The structures depicted are the interior of the
Temple of Diana in
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
, the
Triumphal Arch and
Roman Theatre
Roman theatres derive from and are part of the overall evolution of earlier Greek theatres. Indeed, much of the architectural influence the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings. However ...
in
Orange (combined in an imaginary perspective), the
Maison Carrée,
amphitheater
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
and
Tour Magne
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
in Nîmes (also from an imaginary perspective), and the
Pont du Gard over the
Gardon river.
Intérieur du Temple de Diane à Nîmes (Hubert Robert, Louvre).jpeg, ''Interior of the Temple of Diana in Nîmes'' (''Intérieur du Temple de Diane à Nîmes''), 242 × 242 cm
Hubert Robert - The Arc de Triomphe and the Theatre of Orange - WGA19600.jpg, ''The Arc de Triomphe and the Theater in Orange'' (''L'Arc de triomphe et le Théâtre d'Orange''), 242 × 242 cm
Hubert Robert - The Maison Carée, the Arenas and the Magne Tower in Nimes - WGA19601.jpg, ''The Maison Carrée, the Amphitheater, and the Tour Magne in Nîmes'' (''La Maison Carrée, les Arènes et la Tour Magne à Nîmes''), 243 × 244 cm
Pont-du-gard-hubert-robert-1786.jpg, ''The Pont du Gard'' (''Le Pont du Gard''), 242 × 242 cm
Background
Hubert Robert (1733–1808) belonged to a trend of 18th-century ''
veduta'' painters specialized on ancient ruins, established in France through
Giovanni Paolo Panini and
Claude Joseph Vernet. This trend was greatly supported by the development of archeology, which increased the interest in ancient buildings. Robert had traveled in Italy in 1754–1765 and painted many Roman ruins on location. After returning to France he continued to paint ancient ruins as well as idealized versions of French landscapes.
History
The ''Principal Monuments of France'' was made in 1786 to decorate a room at the
Palace of Fontainebleau, although the paintings were never installed at this location. In 1787 they were reproduced as
engravings. The four paintings were also exhibited at the
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
in 1787. They were bought by the ''
Bâtiments du Roi'', but for unknown reasons two of them, ''The Arc'' and ''The Maison Carrée'', were returned to the painter. On 13 July 1821 they were bequeathed by Robert's widow to the
Louvre. All four paintings are now found in the Department of Paintings in the Louvre.
In 1789, Robert painted ''
The Ruins of Nîmes, Orange and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
''The Ruins of Nîmes, Orange and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence'' is a 1789 oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Hubert Robert, now in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. It combines the ruins shown in his ''Principal Monuments of France
Principal M ...
'', which depicts all ruins seen in the ''Principal Monuments'' series.
See also
*
Roman Gaul
References
External links
* The paintings in the
Joconde
Joconde is the central database created in 1975 and now available online, maintained by the French Ministry of Culture, for objects in the collections of the main French public and private museums listed as ''Musées de France'', according to ...
database
*
''Intérieur du Temple de Diane à Nîmes''*
''L'Arc de triomphe et le Théâtre d'Orange''*
''La Maison Carrée, les Arènes et la Tour Magne à Nîmes''*
''Le Pont du Gard''
{{Louvre Museum
1786 paintings
Architecture paintings
Landscape paintings
Painting series
Paintings in the Louvre by French artists
Paintings by Hubert Robert