The Cloisters, San Lorenzo fuori le mura
Historical Context
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg's The Cloisters, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura from 1824 depicts the medieval cloister of one of Rome's seven major basilicas, painted during the Danish artist's Italian sojourn. Eckersberg, the father of Danish Golden Age painting, studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris before spending three years in Rome. His precise, sunlit architectural studies from Italy profoundly influenced the Danish painters who would follow him to Rome.
Technical Analysis
Eckersberg's oil-on-canvas technique demonstrates his characteristic clarity and precision, with the Roman sunlight creating sharp shadows across the cloister's columns and arches. The precise architectural rendering and luminous palette reflect the rationalist approach to painting that he would teach at the Copenhagen Academy.
Provenance
Sold by the artist to Jacobsen, Denmark, August 7, 1824 [according to Eckersberg's daybook citied in Copenhagen 1895]; by descent to his son, W. Jacobsen and his daughter, B. Jacobsen, Denmark, by 1895 [lent by them to Copengagen 1895]. Eduard Ree, Copenhagen; sold, Ree estate sale, October 16-18, 1918, lot 17. Sold, Arne Bruun Rasmussen Kunstauktioner, Copenhagen, November 29, 1985, lot 29. Richard Feigen, New York, by 1985; sold to the Art Institute, 1986.
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