Theater van Marcellus te Rome 1675 - 1711

This is Pieter Schenk's depiction of the Theater van Marcellus in Rome, made sometime between 1660 and 1711. This print offers us a glimpse into the cultural fascination with classical antiquity that permeated 17th-century Europe. Schenk, through his detailed engraving, isn't just showing us the physical ruins of a Roman theater. He's inviting us to reflect on the layers of history and power embedded within this space. Originally built in ancient Rome to stage spectacles for the masses, the theater, by Schenk's time, was incorporated into the Savelli palace. Notice the figures in the foreground, they are rendered small against the vastness of the architecture, prompting considerations of individual experience against the backdrop of monumental history. The emotional experience of viewing such a place must have been charged with the weight of history and the spectacle of human achievement and decline. It’s a stage upon which power, culture, and identity have been continuously renegotiated, subtly urging us to consider who gets to write history and whose stories are told.