Gezicht op het forum Julius bij Fréjus 1631 - 1691

Israel Silvestre etched this view of the Forum Julius at Fréjus in the 17th century. Here we see a landscape punctuated by ruins of Roman architecture; the aqueduct with its arches dominates the foreground, while behind it stand fragmented columns against the sea. The arch, in antiquity, symbolized triumph and imperial power, seen in triumphal arches across the Roman Empire. Yet here, broken and incomplete, these arches evoke a sense of melancholy and the transience of human achievement. Think of Piranesi's etchings of Roman ruins, where the crumbling architecture speaks of a lost grandeur. The Forum, once a center of Roman life, is now reduced to isolated pillars, a poignant reminder of time’s relentless march. This is not merely a depiction of ruins, but a contemplation on the cyclical nature of history, where civilizations rise, flourish, and eventually succumb to decay, leaving behind fragments that stir our collective memory.