The Tomb of Publio Vibio Mariano, Rome

Throughout his illustrious career, Corot's drawings in graphite recorded initial impressions of the landscapes he encountered. After training as an artist in Paris, he first traveled to Italy in 1825, spending nearly three years exploring the Roman campagna. This drawing dates from that sojourn and, in the choice of subject, Corot followed in the footsteps of artistic forbears, Claude Lorrain among them.
Formerly thought to be Nero's tomb, the marble sarcophagus in Rome's via Cassia is actually the burial place of Vibio Mariano, a third-century military leader, and administrator, and his wife Reginia Massima and was erected by their daughter Vibia Mariana Massima.