Jakob Philipp Hackert became one of the best landscape painters at the Neapolitan court by depicting Italian landscapes. In the 16th century, depictions of villas on the outskirts of Rome became popular. Particularly often depicted was the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, where the natural landscape of the waterfall harmoniously coexists with the architecture. The painting "Waterfall in Tivoli" depicts a landscape featuring a large waterfall, next to which stands an ancient rotunda. The artist accurately reproduced the landscape in a topographical manner. The meticulous detailing, along with the influence of the veduta genre and Dutch painting, crystallised the subdued colour palette of the landscape, characteristic of the artist.