Alfred Ayscough Wilkinson 19th Century Grand Tour Watercolour of The Temple of Minerva, Rome

An Alfred Ayscough Wilkinson 19th Century Grand Tour Watercolour of The Temple of Minerva, Rome.

Painted circa 1880, this scene depicts Le Colonnacce at the Temple of Minerva. A vibrant blue sky illuminates the structure above the towering sculpture of Minerva.

Below, an entablature depicting the scenes of the Arachne myth trails along the frieze raised by Corinthian columns. To the lower right, two figures wait outside a doorway of a bakery built into the ruin.

Along with the cobbled streets, none of this remains today since being excavated in the 1920s.

Presented in a well travelled and interesting gilt frame, there are stickers to reverse for the London framers and an exhibition date of 1881-1882.