The Roman antiquities, t. 4, Plate XXV. Bridge cross-section of Cestius. 

Editor: This is "The Roman Antiquities, t. 4, Plate XXV. Bridge cross-section of Cestius" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. It's a print, an engraving showing architectural plans. It feels very technical, like an engineer's blueprint, yet also somehow dramatic. I wonder, what story do you think this drawing is trying to tell, from your perspective? Curator: A story etched in lines, isn't it? To me, this isn't just a cold technical drawing, but Piranesi wrestling with the ghosts of Rome, trying to reconstruct its grandeur from ruins. The sharp, almost frantic lines of the engraving seem to betray a passionate mind. I sense an elegy for lost empire mixed with awe. It's almost as though he’s challenging us: "Look at what was, and what’s been lost!" Do you see how the precision is contrasted with these almost dreamlike flourishes around the edges? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. It’s like a mix of exact measurement and romantic imagining. Almost as if he couldn't bear to only show the facts of the architecture without implying the emotions these spaces must have evoked. Curator: Exactly! And consider this: Piranesi wasn’t just recording, he was interpreting, adding his own artistic flair. There's a level of drama here not often found in architectural drawings. It is said that he felt he needed to reconstruct Rome better than it was, not just as it used to be. Don’t you think this is more than just representation? Editor: That makes so much sense. It transforms it from just a drawing to a passionate argument about Rome's past and maybe its future. Thank you, I’ve never looked at it that way before! Curator: And I think reflecting with you helped me recognize how deeply personal Piranesi’s artistic vision was!