A Pergola, Italy

This painting is an anomaly among Eckersberg’s Roman works in several regards. He has worked with a strictly symmetrical composition, and the anonymous architecture acts as a foil to the leafy pergola and the tree at the door – for once, Eckersberg has made the architecture subordinate to the more informal structure of the plants. He has not indicated the precise location of the pergola. In only a few instances did Eckersberg select a subject that cannot be accurately pinpointed to a specific location; another example is A Courtyard in Rome [cat.33]. Quite contrary to his usual practice, this canvas sees Eckersberg working with relatively broad brushstrokes, which gives this painting a more sketch-like feel than any of his other scenes from Rome. In this case the choice is unlikely to have been prompted by lack of time preventing him from carefully finishing every detail.