Temple of Minerva Medica (inc by Francesco Piranesi) 

This print of the Temple of Minerva Medica was made by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in Italy in the late 18th century. Piranesi was known for his detailed and dramatic etchings of Roman architecture, both real and imagined. The image presents an archeological interpretation of a Roman temple. By focusing on the material culture of the temple such as the shields and helmet, Piranesi invites us to imagine the social world that produced them. Italy was at the time a popular destination for wealthy Europeans on the Grand Tour who collected Roman antiquities as trophies of their travels. Piranesi’s prints catered to this market. Prints like these reflect the growing interest in classical antiquity that would feed into the Neoclassical movement. It's worth asking, however, to what extent Neoclassicism was influenced by accurate historical knowledge, and to what extent it projected the desires and fantasies of the present onto an idealized vision of the past. Analyzing the way that Piranesi uses visual codes and cultural references can tell us a lot about his social context. Historians often study period documents and archeological records.