Interior of Saint Peter’s c. 1758

Hubert Robert rendered "Interior of Saint Peter's" in ink and watercolor, capturing the grandeur of this iconic space through the eyes of an 18th-century artist deeply influenced by the Enlightenment. Robert, living in an era of burgeoning interest in classical antiquity, presents Saint Peter's not just as a religious center, but as a stage where social classes converge. We see laborers, who strain to move massive doors, juxtaposed with the clergy and the leisured class, their social standing subtly highlighted by their attire and activities. The architectural rendering is precise, yet the figures populating the space seem to exist outside the church’s spiritual function, engaged in worldly affairs. Their presence prompts us to reflect on the church's role as a place where the sacred meets the secular, and how power dynamics play out within its walls. Robert invites us to consider the multiple narratives playing out, and their relationships to the spaces they inhabit.