On March 16, 2026, Professor Jens Koehler from JCU’s Art History Department was invited to give a lecture titled “Aqua Claudia – Neue Archäologische Forschungen und Nerlys Gemälde” (Aqua Claudia – New Archaeological Research and Nerly’s Painting) at the Kunsthalle Bremen in Germany This was the opening event for the art exhibition dedicated to the work of Friedrich Nerly, a 19th-century painter known for his Romantic landscapes.
Professor Koehler also contributed to the exhibition catalog with a paper on the ancient Roman aqueducts, with a special focus on the aqueducts Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus, both of which date back to the reign of Emperor Claudius (AD 41-54).
In Bremen, Professor Koehler presented the 1836 oil painting “Campagna Landscape with Aqua Claudia” by Friedrich Nerly, which depicts the Aqua Claudia aqueduct in the Aqueduct Park in Rome’s southeastern suburbs. His lecture provided an overview of Roman hydraulic engineering, ancient construction techniques, and the historical setting, leading to a comparison between the aqueduct’s remains from 52 CE and their depiction in the 1836 painting. Nerly came surprisingly close to a photo-realistic documentation of the architecture and its state of preservation. At the same time, he exercised his artistic freedom to create an aesthetically perfect composition that still accurately depicts the monument.
The audience showed great interest in a topic that combines ancient and modern, technology and art. At the end of the lecture, Professor Koehler answered numerous questions, ranging from the planning of gradients to Roman cement and modern restoration efforts.
The exhibitions “Natur und Antike. Der Romantiker Friedrich Nerly in Rom,” and “Nerly in Venedig. Von Gondeln und Palästen,” will remain open until July 5, 2026. A richly illustrated catalog (published by Hirmer Verlag), including several scholarly contributions, is already available.
