The Roman Theater at Taormina

The painting was created in 1828 by Louise-Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont, depicting a mountain scene. It entered the collection of James Mackinnon in London before being purchased in September 1999 by Frank Anderson Trapp of Pittsburgh. In 2004 the work was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains in the institution's collection.

The work is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection through a gift in 2004 from Frank Anderson Trapp, who had acquired it in September 1999 from James Mackinnon in London. The painting, titled The Roman Theater at Taormina, was created in 1828 by Louise-Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont and is cataloged with an accession number reflecting its entry into the museum’s holdings. It has been exhibited as part of the National Gallery of Art’s permanent collection displays, though specific exhibition titles are not detailed in the provided sources.

Louise‑Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont’s 1828 work, titled The Roman Theater at Taormina, is an oil composition executed on paper that has been adhered to canvas. The painting presents a Roman amphitheater nestled within a mountainous setting, capturing both the architectural ruin and the surrounding natural scenery in a single, balanced view.

During the early 1800s, European artists frequently depicted Italian ruins as symbols of cultural heritage and romantic ruin. Taormina’s Roman theater, perched on Sicily’s eastern coast, offered a compelling subject that combined archaeological significance with dramatic topography, aligning with contemporary tastes for historic yet serene vistas.