View of Campo Vacino 1767

Charles-Joseph Natoire made this drawing of the Campo Vaccino in Rome with pen, brown ink, and white gouache. He was part of a generation of French artists drawn to Italy, keen to study classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. The Campo Vaccino, meaning "cattle field," was formerly the Roman Forum, a thriving center of political and social life. By Natoire's time, the site was used as a pasture. Consider how the drawing subtly comments on themes of decline and transformation. The classical ruins evoke a glorious past, while the presence of livestock and peasants points to the realities of 18th-century Italy. Natoire’s image participates in the visual rhetoric of his time. We can see that other artists like Piranesi were equally keen to picture Rome as an evocative ruin. To understand this work, consider what was at stake in idealizing or critiquing classical antiquity. Art historians analyze these images in relation to guidebooks, travelogues, and other contemporary sources.