Colosseum, met golfspelers 1600

This print of the Colosseum, with Golfers, was made by Hendrick Hondius I around the turn of the 17th century. It’s an engraving, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve the lines, with the depth of the cut determining the darkness of the printed line. The act of engraving is inherently laborious, requiring immense patience and control. Here, the artist uses hatching, or closely spaced parallel lines, to create a sense of depth and shadow within the Colosseum’s ruins. Note how the circular border of the print flattens the Colosseum, and brings the outside in, focusing the viewers’ attention on the architecture. We see not the glory of the Roman Empire, but rather a contemporary scene. Golfers are depicted in the foreground, in a lighthearted contrast to the Colosseum's imposing presence. This reminds us that all monuments are subject to the ravages of time, and that history is always layered with the present.