Entrance to the Grotto of Posillipo

Art Historical Context

Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings Prints department are drawn into the shadowy allure of *Entrance to the Grotto Posillipo*, a captivating undated work attributed to Hubert Robert alongside anonymous French artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. This captures the dramatic entrance to the ancient Grotto of Posill, a real natural tunnel in Naples, Italy—carved through volcanic rock since Roman times and famed for framing panoramic views of the Bay of Naples Mount Vesuvius. At 18¼ x 13 inches, it evokes the era's Romantic fascination with dramatic landscapes and hidden natural wonders. The artwork's medium—brush and brown wash over a red chalk counterproof, with traces of black chalk and pen-and-ink framing lines—highlights masterful techniques of the period. Counterproofing, a process of pressing a wet sheet against an inked drawing to create a reversed mirror image, allowed artists like Robert to refine compositions with soft, atmospheric tones. The brown wash builds depth and mystery, mimicking the grotto's dim interior and rugged textures. Hubert Robert, a leading French vedutista known for his luminous architectural fantasies and ruins, infused such scenes with a sense of timeless grandeur. This piece reflects 18th-century Grand Tour travelers' awe for Italy's classical sites, blending observation with poetic imagination. A generous 1940 gift from Harold K. Hochschild, it invites us to ponder nature's sublime power.

About the Artist

Hubert Robert|Anonymous, French, 19th century|Anonymous, French, 18th century · 1733–1808

Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....