This picture dates from c1790 along with many other of Wright’s Italian landscapes, which were painted long after his return from Italy in 1775. These landscapes, including this one, rely on a mixture of memory and imagination. Elements such as the trees here are added to give elegance and interest to the composition which is otherwise topographically accurate. The silhouette on the horizon is of the Palace used by the Popes for their summer retreat from the heat of Rome.   Many artists painted this picturesque view and Wright based himself on a drawing of the site almost certainly executed by another artist.

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