Artwork
Ancient Ruins near Messina, Sicily
Ancient Ruins near Messina, Sicily is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: Rémond; center stretcher bar reverse: 1842; on the stretcher: Ruines antiques audessus de Messine
About this work
Subject & Meaning
, where it remains part of the institution's collection of 19th-century European paintings.
The painting depicts a classical landscape of ancient ruins situated near Messina on the island of Sicily, reflecting the 19th-century fascination with antiquarian subjects and the romanticized portrayal of antiquity in European art. The composition emphasizes the interplay of light and shadow across weathered stone structures, symbolizing the transience of civilization and the enduring presence of history within the natural landscape. As part of Rémond's body of work focused on historical and mythological themes, the piece conveys a contemplative engagement with the remnants of the past, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between nature, time, and cultural memory.
The work is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the institution's collection of 19th-century European paintings.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on paper mounted onto canvas, the work measures 26.7 cm in height and 34.9 cm in width. The handling shows a fluid, atmospheric approach typical of Romantic landscape practice, with softly blended passages that render crumbling classical masonry and sunlit vegetation with a delicate touch. Warm tonal harmonies dominate, punctuated by cooler accents in the sky, while the composition balances archaeological detail with picturesque mood.
The paper support remains stable under the thinly applied paint, and no later interventions or structural damages are recorded.
History & Provenance
Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond executed this oil painting on paper mounted to canvas in 1842. The work's documented ownership begins with James Mackinnon of London. It was subsequently acquired by Frank Anderson Trapp, a scholar based in Pittsburgh.
In 2004, Trapp donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the permanent collection.
The painting is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its accession was made in 2004 as a gift, following its earlier ownership by Frank Anderson Trapp, who acquired it in the early 20th century from James Mackinnon in London. The work has not been recorded in major exhibition histories beyond its inclusion in the National Gallery of Art's permanent display.
Overview
Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond’s 1842 work Ancient Ruins near Messina, Sicily presents a quiet Mediterranean landscape where weathered stone structures sit beneath a pale sky. The composition balances the solidity of the ruins with a gentle horizon of hills and water, inviting a contemplative view of history within nature.
Context
The painting reflects the 19th‑century fascination with classical antiquity and the Italian peninsula, a theme common among French artists traveling after their Roman scholarships. Sicily’s ruins offered a picturesque backdrop for exploring the dialogue between past civilizations and contemporary Romantic sensibilities.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Charles-Joseph Rémond (born in Paris in 1795 and died in Paris in 1875) was a French painter, pupil of Jean-Victor Bertin and Jean-Baptiste Regnault.
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