Muleteers beside an Italian Ruin by Jan Asselijn

Muleteers beside an Italian Ruin c. 1650

fantasy concept art

abandoned

charcoal drawing

possibly oil pastel

derelict

underpainting

painting painterly

watercolor

environment sketch

deserted

"Muleteers beside an Italian Ruin" by Jan Asselijn, painted around 1650, depicts a picturesque scene of a group of mule drivers near a majestic Roman ruin. The painting, located in the Rijksmuseum, features a detailed landscape including a bridge, a winding river, and distant mountains. Asselijn skillfully uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. This painting, part of the Dutch Golden Age of art, exemplifies the artistic fascination with Italian ruins, a popular motif during the 17th century.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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Asselijn had spent time in Rome, where he recorded his impressions in drawings. Once back in Amsterdam, he painted this view of a huge aqueduct. This monument to the faded glory of ancient Rome now shelters simple country folk and their herds. In the sunlight beneath one arch, a traveller is relieving himself, just like the urinating donkey in the foreground that partially conceals him.