The Plautian family tomb in Rome, partially based on a print of the Ponte Lucano, Rome

Attributed to Paul Sandby RA (1730/31 - 1809)

RA Collection: Art

The round tower in this watercolour is the Plautian family tomb by the Ponte Lucano in Rome and has been copied from Giuseppe Vasi's vignette from the title page of his publication I Ponti e gli edifici sul Tevere (1754) (The bridges and buildings on the Tiber). The artist has copied Vasi's depiction of the tower quite closely but not the form of the bridge or the surrounding landscape. That the view is certainly after Vasi is confirmed, however, by the fact that the artist appears to have also copied the rest of the composition (the bridge itself and buildings at either end) but without the tomb which features in the related drawing (RA 03/1545).

This drawing and the others in the group have traditionally been attributed to Paul Sandby. Given their provenance from John Yenn's collection (he knew Sandby), as well as their general style and subject-matter, some connection with Paul Sandby seems certain. However, the lack of detail and the fact that several of the drawings have been copied from prints by other artists make it more likely that they are the work of students directed by Sandby. Alternatively, he may have sketched them himself as demonstrations or as outlines for his pupils to colour.