Elevation of Column of Antoninus Pius and Elevation of Column of Trajan 1688 - 1782

Antonio Maria Visentini created this drawing of the Elevation of the Column of Antoninus Pius and the Elevation of the Column of Trajan using pen, brown ink, and gray wash on cream laid paper. Visentini emphasizes the columns’ towering height and intricate carvings. Note how the columns are depicted with a spiraling frieze, which was carved from marble through labor-intensive processes, requiring highly skilled stone carvers. The columns are monuments of the Roman Empire that commemorate military victories. Consider that each of these columns were quarried, transported, carved, and erected through significant human labor, reflecting both the engineering prowess and the social hierarchies of the time. Visentini’s drawing, with its precise lines and measured proportions, itself reflects the labor of the draftsman. This artwork invites us to consider the social and economic forces embedded in both the original monuments and their subsequent representations.