The Triumphal Arch of Titus in Rome Franz von Lenbach

Franz von Lenbach was already an accomplished artist when he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich as a pupil of Karl von Piloty. From his master he learnt the compositional devices and virtuoso techniques of monumental history painting. In 1858 he obtained a scholarship to accompany Piloty on a study trip to Italy, where Lenbach was particularly enchanted by the intense Mediterranean sunlight. Through direct observation, he produced numerous sketches and preparatory studies of the children in the streets of Rome, of the peasants in the surrounding area, and of the triumphal arch erected in honour of Emperor Titus. In 1860, back in his atelier in Munich, he turned these genre details and sketches into this imposing and richly detailed painting, with the historical stage used as a backdrop for a scene from his own period. However, unlike the majority of painters, who tended to depict the Arch of Titus with the impressive sight of the Colosseum in the background, Lenbach chose the point of view of the opposite direction, and focused on the colourful group of market traders proceeding majestically through the archway.