Vedute di Roma 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created this etching of the Colosseum as part of his series “Vedute di Roma,” Views of Rome. The image depicts the ruins of the Colosseum, built nearly two millennia earlier, but this is not a neutral record. Piranesi was working in 18th century Rome at a time when the city was being rediscovered by wealthy Europeans on the Grand Tour. The image creates meaning by emphasizing the grandeur of Roman architecture, but also its decay. This would have reflected the social and political conditions of Italy at the time. Italy was a fragmented collection of states dependent on tourism. The etchings are of great value to historians. Through them, we can better understand how past societies shape the present.