While the majority of Barret's landscapes depict specific sites in Britain, this canvas presents one of his rare classical subjects. The small figures clad in togas, the warm light, and the distant view framed by foreground trees and ruins derive from the classical landscapes of Claude Lorrain. Since Barret never traveled to Italy, this scene must have been inspired by other paintings, most likely by the works of the "English Claude," Richard Wilson.

(back to top)