7.4 'Signor Guglielmo Romano'
Willem Romeijn (c. 1624-in or after 1695) is registered in the parish archives of San Lorenzo in Lucina in 1650 and 1651, and his departure is recorded in 1652.1 It is striking that in 1651 he was listed as 'Signor Guglielmo Romano'. The title indicates that he had acquired a certain level of respect, possibly reflecting his career in Rome.
We only know a few paintings by his hand, but his œuvre of drawings is much larger.2 There are no dated drawings from his time in Rome, but according to Schatborn there are two drawings that can be placed in that period.3 One of them, Bank of the Tiber (Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek) [10], is an early version of a signed drawing of 1666 in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.4 The Leiden drawing is on paper with an Italian watermark. Based on the difference of its style from his later works, Schatborn suggests that the carefully executed drawing was made in 1650–1651. Another Italianate drawing, View of the Ruins of the Colosseum [11], is closely related in style to the Leiden version of Bank of the Tiber, and is therefore considered to have been also produced in Rome.
10
Willem Romeyn
Bank of the Tiber, c. 1650-1651
Leiden, Universiteit Leiden, inv./cat.nr. PK-T-AW-283
11
Willem Romeyn
In the Colosseum, Rome, c. 1650-1651
Private collection
12
Willem Romeyn
The Arch of Drusus in Rome, dated 1655
Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, inv./cat.nr. 9861
After his return to the Netherlands Willem Romeijn continued to produce views of Rome, which are generally executed in a broader manner. Significant examples are The Arch of Drusus (Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina), dated 1655 [12], and View of the Forum (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Rijksprentenkabinet), dated 1660 [13]. The high level of topographical accuracy makes it likely that they were based on drawings that the artist had made in situ. Other drawings of this type belong to Romeijn’s later period, since they are dated between 1692 and 1695. The recurrence of Rome as a subject shows that the artist continued to be appreciated for his drawings of the Eternal City and its ancient monuments until his final years.
13
Willem Romeyn
View of the Forum Romanum in Rome, dated 1660
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. RP-T-1905-207
Notes
1 Hoogewerff 1942, p. 123, 124, 126: ‘1650. Strada Paolina: een aantal woningen verder. Inwonende bij een echtpaar uit Piemonte: Guglielmo Romano, pittore fiamengo, comunicato, Giovanni Boc (of Bec), pittore fiamengo, com., Giovanni Giacomo, todesco scoltore, com.; 1651 Strada della Croce, mano destra, Signor Salamone Bacchele, pittore fiamengo, comunicato, Signor Guglielmo Romano, olandese, pittore, comunicato; 1652 Strada della Croce, dal Corso, a mano sinistra: (N. N.) …, pittori partiti (D.z. salomon Baccareel en Willem Romeijn)’. His departure from Rome must have been before the end of 1651, since his first son was born on 26 August 1652: Van der Willigen 1870, p. 253.
2 Gerard Hoet (Hoet 1770/1976) lists nearly 30 paintings of landscapes and animals that were sold at auction between 1693 and 1768; not all these paintings are known today.
3 Schatborn 2001, p. 150.
4 Ibid., p. 149, fig. D.