In 1756 Giovanni Paolo Panini created three paintings of an imaginary interior hung with paintings depicting the history of Rome – in this one Roma Antica all the major monuments of Rome are present. The imagined interior has been combined and cut through with the interior architecture of the Vatican, a site that Panini would have replicated to some degree in these paintings . The specific interiors here are the Cabinet of Torsos and the Gallery of Statues which have been combined to create this triptych. The two layers underneath the surface are cut sections of architectural frescoes from Herculaneum, these two paintings constituted early experiments in perspective drawing adding to the depth and interior of the overall work. The work is essentially a multi layered work of architectural interior containing figurative sculpture and painting.
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