The Porch of St Maclou, Rouen

David Roberts's Porch of St Maclou, Rouen of 1829 depicts the flamboyant Gothic portal of one of France's most elaborately ornamented churches, a building that had attracted artists and architects seeking models of late Gothic design since the eighteenth century. Roberts sketched Normandy during his early European tours, developing the architectural subject matter that would define his career. The intricate stonework of St Maclou's facade provided exceptional subject matter for a painter with Roberts's architectural draftsmanship, and the painting demonstrates his early mastery of Gothic ornamental detail within a coherent atmospheric composition.

Roberts's precise rendering of the flamboyant Gothic tracery and sculptural detail demonstrates his supreme skill in architectural painting. The careful attention to the play of light on the carved stone creates a convincing sense of three-dimensional architectural space.