Circle of Johann Jakob FREY
 (Basel, 1813 - Frascati, 1865)

 The Colosseum seen from the Palatine, Rome

 Oil on canvas
 31 x 40 cm
 Around 1850

 This view of the Colosseum in Rome is best known thanks to the French artists Antoine-Félix Boisselier, Jean Achille Bénouville and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot.
 Surprisingly, the closest composition - apart from a few details: the presence of sheep in the foreground and the tone of the sky - is that of the Swiss landscape painter Johann Jakob Frey (Basel, 1813 - Frascati, 1865) and is dated 1846. The paintings are similar in the framing, the vegetation and the position of the monuments. However, it seems obvious that the hand is not the same. It is therefore very likely that our painting was painted by an artist who was contemporary with Frey and who knew his painting.