Rome, the Falls of Tivoli, with classical figures in the foreground

After training in the studio of Adrien Manglard, Claude-Joseph Vernet left for Rome and there began to paint landscapes and marines. He achieved great success for his atmospheric paintings that depict imagined scenes drenched in light. The prime version of this composition was painted by Vernet for Cardinal Gonzaga of Rome, and was acquired with its pendant in the late 18th century by William V of Orange - these are now in the Mauritshuis in The Hague (inv. 293).