Hubert Robert (1733–1808), Draftsman in an Italian Church
, Red chalk, Thaw Collection
, 1981.74
This sheet shows a young artist sketching Domenichino's fresco Flagellation of St. Andrew in the chapel of St. Andrew adjacent to S. Gregorio al Celio, in Rome. Copying old masters was common practice for French artists in Italy. The depiction of artists sketching was popular with Robert and his contemporaries and reflects the influence of Charles Joseph Natoire, director of the French Academy in Rome.