Plate 15: Forum of Augustus (Foro di Augusto), from "Antichità Romane de' Tempi della Repubblica, e de' primi Imperatori"
Original title: Plate 15: Forum of Augustus (Foro di Augusto), from "Antichità Romane de' Tempi della Repubblica, e de' primi Imperatori"
kurzbeschreibung
This etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, made around 1748, shows the Forum of Augustus in Rome. It belongs to the series 'Antichità Romane de' Tempi della Repubblica, e de' primi Imperatori' and combines archaeological recording with artistic interpretation.
Description
Overgrown column remains and stretches of wall dominate the foreground. A small arched bridge crosses the masonry, with several figures moving before it and on it. Behind, further ancient buildings and a city view rise in tiers. Light falling from above sharply defines shadows and the texture of the walls.
Context
In the 1740s, when Rome was being intensively explored by archaeologists, Piranesi was working on this series. The print was intended to record ancient ruins and to convey the scale of Roman architecture. The Forum of Augustus, once an important site of the imperial era, was still partly visible in the eighteenth century.
Impact
The contrast between the massive ruins and the small figures gives the sheet a sense of life and hints at the site's former grandeur. Graded shading creates a calm, almost wistful mood.
Technique
Etching on paper: the lines were bitten into a copper plate. The monochrome range of greys comes from varying the depth and density of the etching, which produces fine transitions between light and shadow.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)