Plate 25: Amphitheater of Verona (Anfiteatro di Verona) 1743 - 1753

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created this etching of the Amphitheater of Verona, a plate from his series, sometime before his death in 1778. Piranesi, living in 18th-century Italy, was deeply engaged with the legacy of the Roman Empire, a civilization built on conquest and the subjugation of diverse peoples. Piranesi was captivated by the grandeur of Roman architecture, yet he also recognized the ruins as emblems of time’s relentless passage. In this print, the amphitheater is not just a historical monument but a stage where the past and present intersect. His choice to depict the arena, once a site of public spectacle and violent entertainment, raises questions about power, spectatorship, and collective memory. The etching technique allows Piranesi to capture both the monumental scale of the structure and the intricate details of its decay. Consider the emotional weight of witnessing such a structure, marked by both human achievement and inevitable decline. What does it mean to look at this history now?