a) Capriccio with Classical Monuments and Archaeologist; b) Capriccio with Classical Monuments and Preaching of the Baptist. Pair of paintings

Oil on canvas

cm. 90x45 each. Framed


The Capriccio with the archaeologist (174a) bears the initials 'I.I.P.' in the lower left-hand corner.



The paintings is accompanied by an expertise by Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri who attributes the canvases to Giovanni Paolo Panini with the intervention of assistants.


In Panini's catalogue, there are numerous fully autographed replicas of subjects such as the Interno del Pantheon or the Campo Vaccino, or fictional ones such as his typical monuments of ancient Rome, real or grouped as "capriccio". One of Panini's most successful inventions is the pair of Capricci ovali of the Accademia di San Luca, commonly known as L’archeologo and the Predica di un apostolo, the first is initialled and dated "I.P.P. 1749". The two 'Capricci' of the Accademia di San Luca, which perfectly express that atmosphere of 'Romanity', suspended between reality and fantasy, that Panini knew how to convey with irresistible naturalness, admiration and genuine enchantment for the vestiges of classical antiquity. The present pair, although presenting notable and very interesting variants that distance it considerably both from that of the Accademia di San Luca, and from the many later versions based on it, can be confirmed to be in the hand of Gian Paolo Panini with the intervention of helpers: an attribution that is also confirmed by the presence of the initials "I.P.P." affixed to the lower left corner of the scene with the archaeologist.