The Triumphal Arch of Titus in Rome

Lenbach mastered the compositional devices and virtuoso technique of history painting as a pupil of Piloty. In this work, painted in 1860, he placed a contemporary scene into a historical setting. While in Italy in 1858-59, he produced several sketches and preparatory studies of Roman street urchins, of peasants from the area around the city, and of the triumphal arch erected in honour of the emperor Titus. Of these genre scenes and sketches (today at the Lenbachhaus, München) he composed this impressive, detailed scene in his Munich studio.