The son and pupil of Alexander Cozens (1717-1786), John Robert was exhibiting pictures by the age of fifteen. He first journeyed abroad in 1776 in the company of the connoisseur and collector Richard Payne Knight and travelled through Switzerland to Italy spending most of his time in Rome within an established colony of artists until 1779. A second visit to Italy was made in 1782 with the rich and famous patron of the arts, William Beckford. On his return in 1783 he embarked on a series of large watercolours based on sketches he had made during these tours but unhappily his mental health declined and in 1794 he was committed to the care of Dr Thomas Monro.

Cozens made several watercolours from studies of the lake and town of Nemi, situated in the Alban Hills in Central Italy, including this one which he completed in 1779.