Gezicht op een Italiaanse stad, op de voorgrond twee mannen 1616 - 1660

Theodor Matham made this drawing of an Italian city with pen and brown ink. It's a bird's eye view, probably Rome, with two figures in the foreground, fashionably dressed, perhaps on their Grand Tour. The Grand Tour became popular from the mid-17th century onwards. It became a rite of passage for young, upper-class European men. As part of their education, they would travel through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, to absorb culture, art, and history. The market for views such as this drawing boomed, allowing those who had travelled to remember it, and those who had not, to experience it vicariously. We can see here the way art institutions and the art market were intersecting with social practices such as tourism. It's important for us, as art historians, to remember that the production and consumption of art are always embedded in wider social and cultural practices. To research this further, one might consult travel guides from the period, or look at letters and diaries from those who took the Grand Tour.