View showing the remains of a large enclosure of columns...
Original title: View showing the remains of a large enclosure of columns..., from Différentes vues de quelques Restes de trois grands Edifices qui subsistent encore dans le milieu de l'ancienne Ville de Pesto autrement Posidonia qui est située dans la Lucanie (Different views of some of the remains of three great edifces that still exist at teh center of the ancient city of Pesto, or Posidonia [Paestum], which is siutated in Lucania)
kurzbeschreibung
Giovanni Battista Piranesi devotes this etching of around 1748 to the ruins of a large ancient temple in Paestum. The print belongs to a series that records the remains of three major buildings still visible at the time in the ancient city. Several rows of columns come together to form a monumental structure, while individual figures stand in the foreground.
Description
An expansive landscape of ruins opens up, crossed by several rows of massive columns that together make up a monumental temple complex. A few people and a horse move between the columns, giving a sense of scale for the architecture. The background is defined by further columns and trees, reinforcing the impression of a sprawling, decayed site. Light falls from above, emphasizing the edges and the stone texture of the columns. The rendering remains monochrome, with fine lines and hatching typical of etching.
Context
Piranesi created this print as part of a series dedicated to the ancient Greek temples of Paestum in southern Italy. In the eighteenth century, Paestum was a little-known, remote destination that artists and scholars were only gradually discovering. Piranesi, famous for his views of Rome, expanded his repertoire with these prospects; they reflect the growing interest in Greek architecture in Italy. The series helped bring Paestum to a wider European audience.
Impact
The print combines grandeur with decay and carries the viewer back to a distant past. Despite their ruined state, the monumental columns appear majestic and evoke a solemn mood. The small figures underscore the scale of the architecture and make the historical distance palpable.
Technique
For this etching, the drawing was scratched into a wax layer on a copper plate and then etched. Fine lines and hatching create subtle tonal values that reproduce the light and shadow effects of the architecture. The plate measures 68.2 cm in height; the print is on paper measuring 51.2 x 69.4 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)