Lot 1657 Dα

The present work depicts the ancient Roman temple of Vesta in Tivoli, a motif which has fascinated generations of artists. Oswald Achenbach frequently visited Tivoli during his sojourns to Italy throughout the 1840s. The present work is dated 1889, meaning that it was made shortly after Achenbach's last great visit to Italy and one year after being named a citizen of honour by the city of Düsseldorf, an event which highlighted his significance for the Düsseldorf school of painters. He depicts the temple from a lowered viewpoint, using the composition to emphasise its exposed position on a high, rocky plateau.