Plan of the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, wife of the Triumvir Marcus Crassus..., tome 3, tavola 49 from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities)
Original title: Plan of the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, wife of the Triumvir Marcus Crassus..., tome 3, tavola 49 from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities)
kurzbeschreibung
Giovanni Battista Piranesi published this etching in 1756–57, showing the ground plan and several views of the mausoleum of Caecilia Metella. It comes from the three-volume edition of 'Le Antichità Romane' and belongs to a series of archaeological recordings of Roman buildings.
Description
A large ground plan (D) of the mausoleum dominates the centre of the sheet, framed by side views. Detail drawings of individual architectural elements appear at the lower left. The black-and-white etching renders walls, columns and building parts with clean lines. Letters from A to Z label each element and refer to a legend.
Context
Between 1756 and 1757 Piranesi brought out 'Le Antichità Romane' in four volumes in Rome. The project systematically documented ancient Roman structures and contributed to the scholarly study of Roman architecture. The plates emerged in the context of incipient Neoclassicism and the archaeological curiosity of the eighteenth century.
Impact
The sheet reads as both an exact scholarly record and a thoughtfully designed artistic arrangement. The clear layout and precise lines give it a factual yet visually appealing character that invites close attention to the architectural details.
Technique
An etching on paper: in this intaglio process, the drawing is scratched into an acid-resistant layer on a copper plate and then etched. Fine lines and hatching allow a detailed reproduction of the architectural drawing. The sheet measures 54 x 77 cm, the plate 44 x 52 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)