This painting and its erstwhile pendant constitute the only known examples of a collaboration between Giovanni Paolo Panini, the most celebrated view-painter in 18th century Rome, and Paolo Anesi, arguably the most accomplished landscapist of his time. Both paintings were almost certainly designed by Panini, but the landscapes were executed by Anesi. Given the uniqueness of this occurrence in Panini’s oeuvre it seems reasonable to assume that this was at the patron’s bequest, though the exact circumstances surrounding the commission are unknown. 

In our painting, two men in formal attire embark on a promenade in the countryside, with sweeping vistas framed on either side by towering trees and a vertical format that lends itself to the perspectival representation of the long, straight road. It is unclear whether this extensive view represents a specific location outside Rome – it is reminiscent of the Roman campagna, in particular the area around Frascati – or is entirely the products of the artists’ imaginations. The road is evocative of the via Appia leading to the Colli Albani, which Anesi is known to have depicted in another painting, formerly with Gallery Antiquaria Sestieri, Rome.

One of the protagonists can be identified as Panini himself, recognisable by his distinctive physiognomy (particularly the shape of his chin): in fact, Panini may have used his own self-portrait drawing in the British Museum sketchbook as a template given that he wears the same cloth cap. Panini can also be identified by the eight-pointed gold cross on a red ribbon worn on his chest. This medal is the cross of the Cavaliere dello Speron d’Oro. Sponsored by the great art collector and enthusiast Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga (1690– 1756), the title was awarded to Panini in October 1749, thus providing us with a firm terminus post quem for the painting’s execution.