Andrea Pozzo and workshop Scene of Martyrdom among Ruins ca. 1708 oil on canvas Palazzo Pretorio, Trento |
Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain Ruins of Amphitheater before 1759 drawing, with added watercolor Musée du Louvre |
Gian Paolo Panini Figures among Ruins of the Colosseum before 1765 drawing, with added watercolor Musée du Louvre |
Henry Ferguson Capriccio of Classical Ruins ca. 1690 oil on canvas National Trust, Ham House, London |
Henry Ferguson Figures before a Ruined Altar ca. 1690 oil on canvas Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh |
Hendrik van Cleve Rome - Ruins ca. 1545-50 drawing Musée du Louvre |
Rudolf von Alt Castle Ruins of Emmerberg near Vienna 1905 drawing, with added watercolor private collection |
attributed to Louis Jean-Jacques Durameau Figures among Ruins ca. 1760 drawing, with added watercolor Musée du Louvre |
Jean-Pierre Hoüel Ruins of the Temple of Jupiter at Agrigento ca. 1776 gouache on paper Musée du Louvre |
Jean-Pierre Hoüel Ruins of Triumphal Monument between Agosta and Syracuse ca. 1776 gouache on paper Musée du Louvre |
Jacques-Louis David Roman Ruins among Trees ca. 1775-80 drawing, with added watercolor Musée du Louvre |
Giovanni Ghisolfi Roman Ruins with Figures ca. 1650-80 oil on canvas Musée Fesch, Ajaccio, Corsica |
Gian Paolo Panini Capriccio of Roman Ruins with Apostle Preaching before 1765 drawing, with watercolor Musée du Louvre |
Hubert Robert Staircase ascending through Ruinous Vault ca. 1755-65 drawing Musée du Louvre |
Jenaro Pérez Villaamil Landscape with Classical Ruins ca. 1830 oil on canvas Museo del Prado, Madrid |
attributed to Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena Architectural Capriccio ca. 1710 oil on canvas Palazzo Ducale, Gubbio |
"But among all the objects of art, the picturesque eye is perhaps most inquisitive after the elegant relics of ancient architecture; the ruined towers, the Gothic arch, the remains of castles, and abbeys. These are the richest legacies of art. They are consecrated by time; and almost deserve the veneration we pay to the works of nature itself."
– William Gilpin, from On Picturesque Travel (1792)