Exterior of the Colosseum (Colisei prospectus) c. 16th century

Curator: Hendrick van Cleve III, active in the late 16th century, created this engraving, titled "Exterior of the Colosseum." Editor: It’s haunting, isn’t it? The ruins loom like skeletons against that stormy sky, a melancholic monumentality. Curator: Absolutely. Van Cleve's image speaks to the Roman Empire's decline and fall, and what that meant for shifting European power structures. We can see how the Colosseum, once a symbol of imperial dominance, becomes a site of reflection on time and decay. Editor: It makes you wonder about the small figures milling about, these tiny witnesses dwarfed by history, still going about their lives in the shadow of something so immense. I imagine them pondering the weight of ages, just like us. Curator: Indeed. The image invites us to consider how our present is always intertwined with the past, our contemporary moment shaped by the weight of history and empire. Editor: I feel a strange mix of awe and sadness contemplating this image. It really gets under your skin. Curator: It’s a poignant reminder that even the mightiest empires eventually crumble, leaving behind only fragments and whispers for future generations to interpret and reimagine.