Landscape with the Villa Aldobrandini at Frascati

Caspar van Wittel created a new type of painting around 1700, the veduta, that would inspire several generations of artists in the years to come, among them Canaletto, Bellotto and Guardi. His paintings are topographical representations of cities, palaces and villas, painted with a warm palette and always including a narrative around the daily life particular to the place depicted.

The Villa Aldobrandini is situated in Frascati, to the south-east of Rome and still remains the property of the Aldobrandini family, for whom it was built in the 1500s. The villa was celebrated for its wonderful gardens and fountains. The present view is taken from the Piazza Municipale.