Gezicht op het Belvedere in het Vaticaan 1801

Daniël Dupré created this drawing of the Belvedere in the Vatican using pen and brush in the late 18th or early 19th century. It’s a picturesque, pastoral scene. But what did the Vatican represent at the time? In a Europe undergoing revolutionary change, the papacy stood for tradition, hierarchy, and the old order. Here, the artist presents it as a feature of the landscape, almost a ruin. Note how the figures and animals in the foreground are given as much attention as the architecture. Consider the politics of this imagery. Was Dupré subtly questioning the Church’s authority? Or was he simply producing a fashionable view for the art market? To understand this work more fully, we can consult historical sources, such as letters, diaries, and travel guides. These shed light on the cultural significance of the Vatican and the changing attitudes towards it during this period. Art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.