The Arch of Titus and the Coliseum, Rome

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Artist: Thomas Hartley Cromek (British, 1809–1873)
Medium: Watercolor with black ink and graphite underdrawing
Size: Sheet: 52.4 x 36 cm (20 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.)
Culture: England, 19th century
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Thomas Hartley Cromek’s detailed renderings of classical ruins in Italy and Greece appealed to British visitors seeking mementos of their Grand Tour travels. Like many artists of his generation, Cromek went to Italy as a young man and settled in Rome, remaining abroad for 20 years and establishing a solid reputation as a watercolorist. Periodically he returned to England to court potential patrons and sell his work. Upon one of these journeys home, he was summoned to Buckingham Palace where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased several watercolors. This drawing exemplifies the topographical accuracy and clarity of Cromek’s most successful work.