Monte Cavo

The drawing is labeled “Monte Cavo,” which is the highest point in the Alban hills and was known by the ancient Romans as the sacred Mons Albanus, being the location of a temple to Jupiter. Wilson’s view shows the distinctive profile of the mountain seen across Lake Albano from a point north of the town of Castel Gandolfo. This drawing is therefore the reverse of the more celebrated view of the lake that shows Castel Gandolfo in profile in the distance, a view that Wilson also completed for Dartmouth.