(Bergamo 1604–1670 Rome)
An architectural capriccio with a colonnade and the Colosseum beyond,
oil on canvas, 96.5 x 188 cm, framed

We are grateful to David Marshall for confirming the attribution after examining the painting in the original. Marshall has suggested dating the present composition to the 1660s due to a loose technique which is typical of Codazzi’s work of the 1660s, in addition to the somber colours and the dramatic contrast of light and dark.

The composition is characterized by a diagonal receding coulisse of buildings and can be compared with other paintings such as the Palace with Screen Colonnade and Pavillions, with a Triumphal Arch Beyond (circa 1640-1641) (see D. R. Marshall, Viviano and Niccolò Codazzi and the Baroque Architectural Fantasy, Milano 1993, VC 22 p. 98).

The present work combines classical ruins and ancient monuments of Rome with modern elements such as the fountain and the palace beyond in the distance, an imaginary setting where religious figures such as Christ preaching and surrounded by Elders share the stage with modern figures from urban life in the left foreground. Along the main orthogonal from the right are a receding portico with a screen colonnade and statues along the top, ruined structures with Corinthian columns, a monument in pyramidal form, the Colosseum, and an obelisk in the distance. On the left a fountain is partially visible in the foreground where two women are depicted collecting water with a bowl.

It has been suggested that an as yet unidentified figure painter may be responsible for the staffage of the present compostion.