View of Delphi with a Procession

This painting of the ancient city of Delphi (in what is now Greece) presents a delicate rendering of the glowing Mediterranean atmosphere. Like many other foreign artists drawn to the ruins of antiquity, French painter Claude Lorrain was fascinated with the ancient Roman Empire. Here, he evoked a serene, bucolic world akin to the poetic vision of the ancient Roman writer Virgil, depicting the ruins restored to their original glory as Claude imagined. This painting was commissioned by Cardinal Carlo Camillo Massimi, an important and erudite collector in Rome.