Claude Lorrain

Ideal landscape — the golden light of Rome

The inventor of the ideal landscape. His paintings of harbors, ruins, and pastoral scenes bathed in golden Roman light created a vision of nature so compelling that English landowners redesigned their estates to look like his pictures. Turner worshipped him; Constable studied him.

Key works

• Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba1648— Golden harbor — Turner demanded to hang beside it
  National Gallery, London
• Liber Veritatis1635-1682— 195 drawings recording every painting — against forgers
  British Museum, London

Connections

External