Mentioned almost as a brief aside in the subject book (see original post here), in connection with the famous Apollo Belvedere sculpture, is a 1796 painting by Hubert Robert entitled, “Imaginary View of the Grand Gallery of the Louvre as a Ruin”. Being unfamiliar with this painting, I tracked it down and see that it is a rather crazy-radical-apocalyptic thing, showing the Apollo as just about the only intact piece amid the fantasized destruction, being calmly sketched by a seated artist. Half the fun of this book, which is utterly dense with historical notes and arcane and unfamiliar (to me) references, is chasing after the subjects of the author’s observations and comparisons and mentions. Of course, that means that — together with its small type which quickly exhausts my eyes — it will take forever to get through the book. Here’s a look at the “…Ruin” (click image for expanded view):