Gian Paolo Panini

Watermark: none visible through lining.
Panini was the foremost Roman painter of real and imaginary architectural views, and his many images of Rome are our best guide to the city's appearance in the eighteenth century. He painted the basilica and piazza of St. Peter many times, but the present watercolor differs from Panini's other known depictions of the piazza in that the view is taken from beneath the colonnade, looking toward the Vatican Palace, rather than toward the facade of the basilica. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Pierre-Jean Mariette sometimes added handwritten captions on the mounts of drawings. He believed, as did other collectors, that understanding the subject of a composition was crucial to enjoying and appreciating a drawing fully. The Latin inscription, which translates "Waiting under the colonnades of Saint Peter's Square," clarifies the location of this scene. Mariette collected works by contemporary artists as well as drawings by old masters. He owned over thirty drawings by Panini, who was a member of the French Academy in Rome and who influenced a generation of French draftsmen. -- Exhibition Label, from "Pierre-Jean Mariette and the Art of Collecting Drawings."