Prozession vor dem Kloster San Onofrio, vom Forum Boarium aus gesehen 

Johann Heinrich Hasselhorst produced this pencil drawing of a procession before the San Onofrio monastery, seen from the Forum Boarium, at an unknown date. We can read this drawing as both a record of the physical topography of Rome and as a document of social life in the city. The monastery sits atop the Janiculum Hill, overlooking the ancient Forum Boarium. Hasselhorst has carefully rendered the textures of the stone walls and the lush vegetation surrounding the monastery. Below, a religious procession winds its way through the city. The artist captures a moment in the daily life of Rome, one steeped in religious tradition. To fully understand this drawing, we would need to research the history of the San Onofrio monastery and the religious practices of 19th-century Rome, looking at church records, travel journals, and other historical documents. Only then can we understand the complex interplay between art, religion, and society captured in this seemingly simple drawing.