Who painted Rome Wearing the Crown?

Rome Wearing the Crown was painted by Gerard de Lairesse in 1695.

Where can I see Rome Wearing the Crown?

Rome Wearing the Crown is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Rome Wearing the Crown?

Rome Wearing the Crown is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Can I buy a print of Rome Wearing the Crown?

Museum-quality prints of Rome Wearing the Crown are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Rome Wearing the Crown

Gerard de Lairesse , 1695

Rome Wearing the Crown is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Gerard de Lairesse. It dates from 1695 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

3 cm in width and is part of the collection at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Rome Wearing the Crown is an allegorical painting by Gerard de Lairesse that personifies the triumph of Rome, with the subject depicted in regal attire symbolizing imperial authority and moral virtue. The work combines allegorical genre conventions with a specific celebration of Rome's symbolic coronation, reflecting the cultural and political ideals of its time. The painting measures 290.8 cm in height and 120.3 cm in width and is part of the collection at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Technique & Style

Rome Wearing the Crown is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work depicts a figure of Rome adorned with a crown, reflecting Baroque allegorical conventions through its dramatic chiaroscuro and compositional balance. The canvas support was primed and painted with layered oil pigments, enabling rich color saturation and fine detail in facial features and drapery.

Visible handling marks include a faint craquelure pattern across the surface, consistent with age-related flexing of the support. The painting's formal qualities emphasize chiaroscuro modeling and idealized proportion, characteristic of Lairesse's academic approach to history painting.

The dimensions recorded at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen confirm a height of 290.8 cm and width of 120.3 cm, establishing the work's large-scale format. These measurements align with contemporary standards for grand decorative allegories intended for private collection display. The handling and condition notes from the museum's conservation files indicate stable pigment integrity with no evidence of flaking or previous restorations affecting the painted surface.

History & Provenance

Rome Wearing the Crown is an allegorical oil painting on canvas created by Gerard de Lairesse in 1689. The work is held by the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, which is listed as its current location. Records also associate the painting with the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands, indicating a broader institutional history beyond its present holding. No further details of commission, prior ownership, or intermediate provenance are documented in the available sources.

The painting measures 290.8 cm in height and 120.3 cm in width, executed in oil on canvas as a work of allegorical genre.

Context

Rome Wearing the Crown (1689), an allegorical oil painting by Gerard de Lairesse, entered the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and is also held by the Rijksmuseum and the National Art Gallery of the Netherlands. Executed in oil on canvas with dimensions of 290.8 cm by 120.3 cm, the work has been discussed in scholarly literature as part of de Lairesse's broader oeuvre and his role in 17th-century allegorical painting. Contemporary critical reception contributed to his later decline in reputation, a trajectory examined in art history scholarship on Dutch Golden Age artists.

Overview

Rome Wearing the Crown is a 1695 oil painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard de Lairesse, exemplifying the Flemish Baroque style with allegorical themes and classical influences.

Legacy

Through Rome Wearing the Crown and his writings, de Lairesse contributed significantly to the development of 18th-century art, leaving a lasting impact on artistic theory and practice beyond his own creative output.