Rome

Miyake Kokki first traveled to the United States in 1897 and frequently went abroad thereafter. In 1920, he embarked on his fourth European trip. It was a tour of the continent with camera in hand to gather visual material, documented in his book A Photographic Journey Through Europe. Miyake departed Japan in February and arrived in Rome via Marseille on April 5. This painting features the Umberto I Bridge in the foreground and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance. In the aforementioned book, Miyake wrote, “I prefer to depict scenes off the beaten path, the ones that do not appear on postcards,” and this preference is reflected in his choice of the simpler Umberto I Bridge over the highly ornate, angel-adorned Sant’Angelo Bridge. (F.R.)