Principal Monuments of France

The structures depicted are the interior of the Temple of Diana in Nîmes, the Triumphal Arch and Roman Theatre in Orange (combined in an imaginary perspective), the Maison Carrée, amphitheater and Tour Magne in Nîmes (also from an imaginary perspective), and the Pont du Gard over the Gardon river.

Hubert Robert (1733–1808) belonged to a trend of 18th-century veduta painters specialized on ancient ruins, established in France through Giovanni Paolo Panini and Claude Joseph Vernet.

After returning to France he continued to paint ancient ruins as well as idealized versions of French landscapes.

[1] The Principal Monuments of France was made in 1786 to decorate a room at the Palace of Fontainebleau, although the paintings were never installed at this location.

They were bought by the Bâtiments du Roi, but for unknown reasons two of them, The Arc and The Maison Carrée, were returned to the painter.