Gezicht op het Theater van Marcellus te Rome

Jean-François Daumont created this print of the Theater of Marcellus in Rome. The image showcases the city as a stage for social life, with figures strolling and gathering around a fountain. Yet this vibrant scene overlays the solid, imposing architecture of ancient Rome. Consider the political history here: the Theater of Marcellus was originally commissioned by Julius Caesar and completed by Augustus. In Daumont’s time, Rome was a key destination for the Grand Tour, a traditional trip of Europe undertaken by upper-class European young men of means. Prints like these helped to shape the perception of Rome as a site of historical importance and cultural refinement. This, in turn, boosted Rome’s, and Italy’s, place in the cultural and economic networks of eighteenth-century Europe. To better understand the context of this artwork, researchers might consult travelogues, architectural treatises, and social histories of 18th-century Rome. Art is always contingent on social and institutional context.