Tomb of Cecilia Metella 1762
giovannibattistapiranesi
minneapolisinstituteofart
print, etching
pencil drawn
landscape illustration sketch
amateur sketch
light pencil work
etching
pencil sketch
incomplete sketchy
pen-ink sketch
pencil work
watercolour illustration
italy
watercolor
Giovanni Battista Piranesi's 1762 etching "Tomb of Cecilia Metella" depicts the ancient Roman mausoleum in a state of picturesque ruin. Known for his dramatic and often fantastical depictions of Roman architecture, Piranesi highlights the grandeur and decay of the tomb. The image showcases the circular structure, its intricate brickwork and fragmented details rendered with meticulous detail. The surrounding landscape further emphasizes the monument's timeless presence and the passage of time, making this an exemplary work of Romanticism in art.
Comments
This round ruin went from tomb to tollbooth. It still stands atop a hill along the Appian Way, about three miles south of the Colosseum. Originally over 70 feet tall and 96 feet wide, it had concrete walls 24 feet thick. As Piranesi noted on the tablet, it was built in the 1st century BCE to honor Caecilia Metella, “daughter of Roman consul Quintus Creticus and wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus.” The swallowtail-shaped battlements on top of the structure were added in the 1300s, when the tomb was converted into a fortress. The owners then used it to collect exorbitant tolls from travelers passing by on the Appian Way.
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