Circle of Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808), Capriccio Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas (lined), unsigned, presented in a later silvered frame.

Stretcher size 41 x 54 in.; Frame dimensions 48 x 60 1/2 in.

From the Estate of the late International Interior Designer Terry Parsons, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Private Collection, Virginia.


A capriccio is an imaginative composition that blends real and fictional architectural elements, landscapes, and figures to create a fantastical or poetic scene. Unlike veduta paintings, which depict actual locations with accuracy, capriccio paintings freely combine ruins, classical structures, and dramatic lighting to evoke nostalgia, grandeur, or decay. This genre, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, often featured whimsical reimaginings of historical settings, reflecting the European fascination with antiquity during the Grand Tour.
Notable artists like Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, and Hubert Robert contributed to the genre, each infusing their work with romanticism and theatrical atmosphere. These paintings influenced later movements, including Romanticism, and remain a source of inspiration in visual storytelling, theater, and film.

The painting has an antique wax lining, age cracking, and areas of retouching and professional restoration visible under UV light.